The Z Conspiracy
by Team Dragon Star
Summary: AU. Sequel to The Z Legacy. Life hadn't always been easy for Videl. Even after finding her calling in life, it of course had to get complicated. All because of a guy named Gohan.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is brought to you by ShadowMajin**

**...**

The sound of gravel crunching beneath her feet filled her ears. Arms pumping at her sides, she jogged on the gravel trail through the park. She had been at this for a while now, so her overly large white shirt was saturated in sweat. Her black spandex shorts clinged to her legs comfortably.

It was early morning, so the air was cool, comfortable. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, letting her see a rather beautiful shade of blue. The sun had risen over the horizon, bathing the park in early morning light.

With her hair pulled into a high ponytail, Videl jogged down the trail. It was part of her regimen and she never missed a day if she could help it. It gave her time to simply be, to let all the worries and stress of the world be locked away, if only for a little while.

Life was unpredictable. When Videl had been a little girl, she had wanted to be a doctor. The ever expanding catalog of medical dramas had made sure she had no shortage of daydreams where she saved people's lives. A cancer patient here, a shooting victim there, she would ease the ills of all that came to her. That dream had faded as she grew, being replaced with law enforcement. At the time, she had fallen under the belief that instead of trying to rescue people from pain, she could prevent it as a policewoman on the front lines. Even now she didn't regret that choice.

"_Welcome to Orange Star Police Academy, cadets!" the drill sergeant barked. In two rows, all of the cadets stood at attention, staring straight forward as the drill sergeant paced in front of them. Videl was in the back row, arms pressed at her sides, her pressed uniform fitting her body and a hat sitting snugly on her head._

"_Today, you have the honor of joining the Orange Star Police Department. For the the next three weeks, you _will _learn about proper police procedure, you _will _follow department protocols as dictated to you, and you _will _not violate any of the rules, regulations, and laws that you will be entrusted to uphold. There's a reason why this is called 'Hell Week,' ladies."_

_Keeping a straight face, Videl resisted the urge to snort. Considering this training was going on for more than a week, it was ironic that it would be named as such. Still, she would get through this training and earn that badge that she and the rest of her classmates strove for._

And she did with flying colors. Top grades in her class, second in shooting, and other accolades fell at her feet. She had gotten through the training no sweat.

Yet, she had been unprepared for the stress of the job. At first she had been burdened with the horrors that mankind could inflict upon itself. The dark-haired woman had stood valiantly against that tide of senseless hate, but soon it overwhelmed her. She grew bitter with each case she took on, the hours of work and towering stacks of paperwork.

And then she shot someone.

_Videl pressed her back against the wall, her gun held up in both hands in front of her face. There was a doorway next to her, wide open. Somewhere beyond it was a crazed man, who had taken to shooting anything and everything in sight. Two people had already been gunned down. The paramedics were practically foaming at the mouth to get to them, yet the presence of the gunman kept them at bay._

_Focusing on her breathing, Videl kept herself calm despite her rapidly increasing heart rate. This wasn't her first rodeo in this situation, but it didn't make it any less nerve-wracking. She had seen plenty of friends and fellow cops gunned down in this situation, no matter __how __many times they __had __practiced the scenario in simulations._

_Steeling her nerves, she took a step to the door, spinning around and pointing her gun through the doorway. There was a wall to the right, which caused her to lean that way, turning to face her left. She found a normal__-__looking family room with chairs and couches and a TV. No one was there so she stepped into the room._

_Up ahead, towards the back of the room and to the right was a hallway. Cautiously__, V__idel made her way to it and repeated her actions. The hall was clear, but at the end was a door. The gunman had to be there. However, before she could take another step, a loud roar filled her ears as the door exploded towards her, pieces of wood flying into the air. Taking cover along the wall just before the corridor's entrance, Videl cringed as her ears rang from the blast. Just great__;_ _this psycho had a freaking shotgun._

"_Who the hell is out there?!" a man shouted as she heard the door was swung open, heavy footsteps pounding on the floor._

"_This is the Orange Star Police," Videl answered, loud and clear. "Lay your weapon do_—"

_She never got the chance to finish her warning as she heard the easily-recognizable sound of the gunman pumping the shotgun. Diving to the floor, Videl covered her head with her arms, just as the wall she had been leaning against exploded, sending pieces of wood and sheetrock falling onto her._

"_Goddamn pigs!" the man roared as he stormed down the hall. "I told you to leave my ass alone! You're gonna die, bitch!"_

_Immediately, Videl rolled onto her back, just as the gunman appeared out of the hall, he pumped the shotgun again and turned its barrel to face her. It seemed as if time had stopped right there for the dark-haired woman as she laid on the floor, fear welling up inside of her and robbing her of her courage. Her brain shut down as the only thing she could possibly focus on was the opening of that shotgun's barrel._

_It was purely reflex that she got her gun up. She hadn't even noticed her finger squeezing the trigger or the loud blast of her handgun. She was faintly aware of the man instantly dropping to the floor, his head thrown back and shotgun falling from his grasp. It was several minutes before she even realized what happened and by then she was still lying on the floor, breathing rapidly as the gunman lay unmoving before her._

Just the very thought of that first shooting, that first kill had made Videl increase her pace. Her beating heart pumped faster in response as her breathing grew louder. Never mind it had been in self-defence, that had she not pulled her trigger and shot that crazed man with a shotgun, that it would have been her picture on the front page as the latest officer to be slain in the line of duty, it still left a void inside of her. Even now she could remember the public outrage against her, the suspension that was forced upon her by her superiors until she was cleared.

She had fallen into a dark place after that. It was weeks before she had smiled at someone, that she hadn't stared at her reflection in the mirror and wanted to break it into a thousand pieces. When she had returned to work, receiving a warm welcome by her friends and co-workers, her spirit had been lifted, although for all too short of a time.

Soon, she found herself involved with many more shootings. Some were clearly unavoidable while others… weren't unavoidable, but she hadn't cared. It was one less monster on the streets. She still believed that even now. Unfortunately, her lieutenant couldn't stomach her more final methods and suspended her once again.

It was shortly after that she had been approached by someone that shared her views. Videl had been skeptical at first, but the offer that was presented to her had been very tempting. More than tempting actually, considering she accepted. Of course, just because she had accepted the offer didn't mean she had the job. She needed to pass an interview.

Of course, that interview later because her first assignment.

_The car came to a stop on the side of the street. From her seat, Videl could only see the long line of connecting buildings. Looking past the driver, she could make out a flower shop, a real-estate agency, and a deli across the street. Glancing to her blonde driver, she gave her a look that showed she was very unimpressed._

"_We're here," the woman said as she turned off the car engine. Opening her door, she climbed out of the car, slamming it shut behind her. Dubiously, Videl followed her lead as she got out. She made sure to grab her duffle bag, hanging it by its strap over her shoulder._

_The dark-haired woman had been told to dress casually, which she had done. Jeans, a T-shirt, and she had been ready to go. She hadn't bothered doing anything about her hair, thankfully being quite short. She had half-expected the woman that picked her up to be disapproving, but her purple jumpsuit indicated that she really didn't care. Said her name was Hasky when they introduced each other._

_Following Hasky, the two of them made their way up to the real estate office, where the blonde woman pulled out a key and inserted it into the door lock. With a twist, she unlocked it and pushed the door in, a bell ringing as the corner of the door hit it. Walking in, Videl immediately began checking out her surroundings, finding it to be just a simple office. There was a sitting area to the right and a couple of self-made cubicles using shelves to the right._

_Hasky closed the door behind them, locking it. "You don't look too busy here," Videl commented._

"_It's the weekend, what did you expect?" the woman retorted as she made her way to the back of the room. Videl followed her towards a small hallway in the back. At the end of it was a keypad, but Hasky didn't go to it. Instead she raised her set of keys again, putting one into the lock on a doorknob to a door to their left. The door open a moment later and the two women walked through the doorway._

_To Videl's surprise, she found herself in an elevator. Once Hasky shut the door behind them, she hit a button labeled _"_B2_" _and two metal doors slid in front of them until they met each other. Soon, they began to descend. Videl felt nervous as this turn of events, shifting on her feet as she looked between the elevator doors and this Hasky lady._

_When the elevator stopped, the doors slid open, revealing a rather bland-looking hallway. Videl was underwhelmed by its appearance. Moving forward, the two walked down a hallway, Hasky confident while the dark-haired woman turned her head this way and that. This was unknown territory for her and she wasn't about to let her guard down. Passing an intersecting hallway, she couldn't help but notice an armed guard dressed in black combat fatigues casually patrolling, a machine gun held firmly in his hands._

_Eventually, they came to a door, which Hasky opened for her. Stepping through it, she was half-surprised to have the door close behind her her, yet her guide staying on the other side. Looking around the room she found herself in, she noticed it was a typical office with a desk, a couple chairs, and various decorations she didn't care to look at. The desk was quite messy, a chaotic piling of folders and papers._

_And sitting behind the desk was a young-looking, dark-haired man. He looked at her with eager blue eyes, though his face remained stoic. "So you're the firecracker I've been hearing about," he said in a rather smooth voice._

_Videl just stared back at him with her own blue eyes. She wasn't sure how to take all of this and she wasn't about to put her neck out on the line just yet._

"_Nothing to say?" the man asked, almost taunting her._

"_You wanted to see me?" Videl replied. It was the safest words she could think of at the moment._

_The man looked at her nonplused. "And what gave you that impression?"_

"_Besides that woman you sent to pick me up bringing me here? The offer you made me."_

"_What offer could you possibly mean? I'm drawing a blank at the moment."_

_That made Videl scowl. "Then what the hell did you bring me here for?"_

_A smirk appeared on the man's face. "There we go. That's the fire I wanted to see." Waving a hand to her, indicat__ing_ _one of the chairs, he continued, "Have a seat. Make yourself at home."_

_Still glaring, the dark-haired woman dropped her duffle bag to the floor and strode to the chair, taking a seat. "So what is all this?"_

"_Oh, just a business__. N__ot completely legal I'll give you, but simple and quite direct. You see," at this he leaned onto his desk, towards her, "I've wanted to make a difference in this world. It wasn't all that long ago that I thought, hey, I can make this place so much better than the current bunch of louts running things. But… as you can imagine it didn't work out that way. No matter what I did, everything stayed the same, which was frustrating."_

"_So then you decided the hell with everything and struck out on your own," Videl finished for him boredly. "That's how this lame story ends, right?"_

_The dark-haired man grinned at her as he leaned back into his chair. "Okay, so you caught me. Still, I am doing something rather important."_

"_And that would be?"_

_His tone changed, becoming much more serious. "Changing the world."_

The rest of that conversation mattered very little now. In fact, Videl barely recalled shaking the man's hand. Father's hand. Her pace began to slow, not because of her slowly growing fatigue, but more of her annoyance. She didn't really understand why her boss wanted to be called by that name, and she half-expected he got off on it. It wasn't hard to imagine that, considering he had several pretty woman calling him that name.

Maybe that was the point.

After her induction to the agency though, things weren't immediately better for her. Her "co-workers"—and she used that term _very_ loosely—didn't take to her.

"_So yous the new guy."_

_Videl held her fire as she stared at the paper target. There was a silhouette of a man with thin lines going through him, dividing him into segments. The dark-haired woman had been practicing her shooting __when __that obnoxious voice broke her concentration._

_Lowering her gun, she turned to face another blonde, although her hair was much more wild than Hasky's. Predatory green eyes bore into her from this new person, which Videl didn't quite like. "And you are?"_

_The blonde woman had a smirk on her face, full of pride and arrogance. "Name's Wildcat. I'ze the top dog here, shrimp."_

_Instantly, Videl bristled at that name. So what if she was short? That didn't take away from her skills, which she had clearly shown if she was a part of this outfit. If this was some form of hazing, then she was just gonna have to show how much distaste she had for it. The other woman didn't bat an eye when she noticed the dark-haired woman's anger, instead grinning wider. "Struck a nerve, did I'ze? Better get used to it, girlie."_

"_My name is Videl," she growled back._

_The blonde lifted an eyebrow at that. "That's yous name?"_

"_It's not any different than Hasky's."_

_Wildcat snorted. "Oh, I sees. I'ze thinks Father messed up brinin' yous on board. No ones uses their real name, not here. Hasky's a fake name she'ze uses when goin' undercover. 'round here, she's Serpent."_

_It was Videl's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Another fake name."_

"'_Course. So tells me 'gain, what's yous name?"_

_Videl paused. "Father" had given her another name he'd use to contact her for assignments, but she never thought she'd have to use it with the other agents. Perhaps that was for the best if all the others were just as irritating as "Wildcat" here. "Devil."_

_Wildcat smirked at her before her eyes flickered down to the gun in the dark-haired woman's grip. "Yous any good with that hand cannon?"_

_Now, Videl wasn't a naturally prideful person, but she was very confident in her shooting abilities. She had actually won a shooting contest at the precinct not too long ago, beating out some of the renowned officers. Smirking, she turned and raised her gun, squeezing the trigger rapidly as she fired her weapon. The bangs of the gunshots bounced off the concrete walls, making them sound much louder. When she lowered her gun, several small holes dotted the center of the target's torso, an occasional hole further out here and there._

_Turning back to Wildcat, Videl was pleased to see the blonde looked impressed. "Not bad," she complimented the dark-haired woman._

_That's when Wildcat pulled out her own gun and fired one shot. Jerking her head back, Videl saw a new hole in the target's head, right between where a person's eyes would be. "Yous can empty an entire clip into some smuck's chest, and they'ze might live. Put one in they'ze brain, and it's good-night Lucy," Wildcat said, sounding as if she was giving a lecture. "We'ze are only interested in takin' the target out. The quicker, the better. Remember that."_

_Spinning around, Wildcat then sauntered off, leaving Videl to glare at the back of her head._

Unfortunately, her meetings with the other agents were very similar. It was clear that none of them liked each other, content to share a roof over their heads, but that was the limit. It was actually fortunate that Father advocated placing his agents out in the field, living completely different lives than having all of them hissing at each other in one place. If it wasn't for her having to report back to Father every so often, she would never have returned, content to just sending her updates electronically.

A buzz went off in her shorts, catching her attention. Slowing down her jog, she came to a stop and reached to her right pocket, pulling out her phone. The screen was lit up, revealing a text message from someone called Teacher. "_Assignment due in class today. Be on time._"

Videl stared at the message before turning the screen off. Shoving the phone back into her shorts, she began jogging again, following the trail still. The path would loop around and bring her back to the parking lot. However, the serenity she had felt previously had evaporated. She had been expecting this message to come in, but she would have prefered it not come during her job. Now she was shifting to work-mode, her Devil persona, and whatever peace she had found was long gone. She was really gonna have to speak to Teacher about her damn timing. She knew perfectly well she'd come here at this time.

With a growl, she picked up her pace.

…

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	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter is brought to you by ShadowMajin**

* * *

Videl slammed the door of her dorm room, causing a loud bang in the process. Sweating and ill-tempered, the dark-haired woman eyed the small mainroom of the dorm before marching to her left. A white, wooden door was closed along the wall, which she nearly tore off its hinges as she swung it open.

A decorated room appeared before her and she had to resist gagging at the sight of it. It was a room fit for a college girl, what with its thousands of photos arranged in picture frames and self-made collages. The bed, desk, and dresser also had that girlish flair, just as it was designed to be. Videl was sickened by it and unfortunately for her, her dorm mate liked it too much to change it.

Sitting at the desk was said dorm mate, a young woman with short blonde hair, who was looking over her shoulder at the dark-haired woman. "Gee, Devil, aren't we moody today?" her "Teacher" snarked.

"You ruined my run," was all Videl responded to that.

The blonde rolled her eyes. Her name was Maid, mostly because Father liked placing her anywhere and everywhere he needed a set of eyes on. Needed dirt on a politician? Here goes a new, young secretary. Did another agent leave a gun behind on their way out of a kill? Here comes the mysterious federal agent to make sure it makes it to evidence, yet never quite does. Maid did all the dirty work, stuff that Videl flat out refused to do. She was a hired gun, no more, no less.

"And Father has an assignment for you." At this, Maid turned in her seat and leaned forward, a manila folder held out towards the dark-haired woman. "He said it couldn't wait. If you have a problem, take it up with him."

Videl just scowled at her before spinning around and leaving. "You're welcome!" the blonde called out after her.

"Don't you need to be getting to class, 'Ms. Erasa Rubber'? Videl shot back.

"Ha. Ha. Nice try. Fool me five times, shame on you; fool me six times, shame on me."

Damn, that idiot was catching on. She would just have to find something else to trick her with. Heading into her room, she shut the door behind her, more gently this time since it was her own door. In contrast to Maid's room, Videl's was rather plain. The walls were barren aside from an occasional picture of some people she didn't know but claimed were her friends and family. She was even photoshopped into a few of them. In Videl's opinion, she wasn't here to make friends, considering she was living the life of a law student. She was here to "study" and "work her ass off" to be the class valedictorian. Nevermind that Maid took care of every assignment and project she had to do, she still went through the motions of being a student to cement her cover.

Taking a seat at her neat and orderly desk, Videl slapped the folder down with a loud _clap!_ sound. Opening it, she narrowed her eyes. Target: Judge Colin Michaels, activist judge with an anti-war bent. Deadline: six days from now. Residence: North City…and in a very good part of North City. Anything else...make it look like an accident. Damn.

Videl wasn't too fond of these accidental death assignments. It meant she had to get close and personal with the target to figure out just when and where she had to strike. She much prefered using a sniper rifle and shooting them from afar. Gave her a chance to finish the job early and a better chance of leaving the scene undetected.

The faint whining of the door hinges alerted her to the door opening. Quickly shutting the folder, she turned in her chair in time to see Maid poking her head in. "What?" she asked none too politely.

"Judge Michaels is a very rich man," Maid replied, not taken back at all by Videl's attitude. "Has a house full of staff. That should be your ticket in."

Videl wasn't surprised by the info. Maid was always diligent in her research when it came to targets and her advice was usually helpful. "Can't be the kitchen," Videl added. "I can't cook to save my life, and people like Michaels would notice the difference in his food."

"Same with chauffeur. He's used the same driver for the last fifteen years."

"That leaves butlers and maids. I should be able to slip in with one of them."

"Michaels likes his cleaning staff in uniform. I have the specifics and can get it to you by the end of the day. You can go to North City in the morning."

Videl nodded her head at this before turning back to her desk and moving the folder. Taking up a large space on the desk was a giant desk calendar. Looking at the next week, the dark-haired woman saw she had no pressing engagements or assignments due. She was in the clear. "I'll line up my travel accommodations."

"I'll be back in a little bit," Maid said. She then turned and left the door frame, leaving the door open.

Videl watched her for a moment before she called out, "Thanks." She wasn't the nicest person around, admittedly, but she never liked making people feel like dirt. Sad as it was, Maid was the only person with the agency that she got along with, and they were usually getting on each other's nerves.

"You're welcome," she heard Maid answer.

Turning back to her desk, Videl then reached for a closed laptop off to the side and opened it, watching it come to life. It wouldn't take long to get a plane ticket and pack. Though she trusted Maid's information, she also had research to do on the judge.

But first, she needed to get out her credit card.

* * *

Videl wanted to kill somebody. Yeah, she had her target to kill, but that wasn't going to be nearly as satisfying as choking the life out of Father or Maid. This was a job for Serpent or Janus, not her. Especially in this..._thing_ she had to wear.

Keeping her face as calm as she could, the dark-haired woman lifted her feather duster and dusted one of the many damn shelves the judge had in this mansion of his. She was careful not to reach too high as that poofy black skirt she wore would rise too much and reveal the white lacy undergarments she wore. Why the hell did Michaels have some sick french maid fetish? People didn't wear this get up, not in modern times. And yet, she was forced to wear this black monstrosity and its white apron, stockings, and headdress. When this was over, she was going to burn this wretched thing.

Lowering her arm down, she turned to go find something else to dust, eyeing the other fetish maids as they did their work. They must have been working here a long time since they didn't seem to be bothered wearing this crap. It was sad.

That was when one of them came running on to her. "You," she spoke in a commanding tone. "Have you seen to the master bedroom?"

Videl shook her head. "No, not yet."

"Well, you need to go there now, before the Judge comes back," the maid ordered. "Go, now."

Videl resisted the urge to punch the woman in the face, nodding her head in confirmation instead. "I'll go do that." She left that room then, heading towards the main lobby where the staircase would be. Finding it, she climbed the stairs, the clacking of her high-heeled shoes echoing off the wooden stair planks. Reaching the second floor, she went in search of the master bedroom, wandering through the twists and turns of the hallways. It was a good thing she had studied the floor plans for the mansion, otherwise she would've been lost.

When she reached the master bedroom, she strolled on in, taking a look about the place. She had half-expected some sort of lavish elegance to the room, but was mildly surprised to find it almost normal-looking. A four corner-post bed, dresser, desk, closets, and a television were the most eye-catching parts of the room. The amount of space in the room was odd, but Videl didn't bother too much looking into it. Instead she went about dusting whatever she could. She did see a hook on the ceiling, but she didn't give it much thought.

It was as she was dusting one of the corner posts of the bed did things take a sudden turn. "What are you doing in my room?" a rather husky voice asked.

Startled, Videl dropped the feather duster to the floor and spun around. In the doorway was a large man, burly with a very round stomach. He had a beard on his face, brown, and scraggy. So she finally met the judge at last. Swallowing in an attempt to look meek, the dark-haired woman sputtered, "J-Just dusting the room, Sir."

The judge stared at her before raising a hand up to his chin, rubbing it. "I don't believe I've seen you before."

"I… well, you see… umm, I'm new here," Videl stuttered. Ugh, this was getting annoying. "A-And I was told to come up here to—"

The large man held up a hand to silence her. "That's alright, that's alright," he spoke. "You can carry on."

Videl nodded and began to turn back around. It was as she was turning that she noticed a glint in the man's eye, one that she recognized all too well in its predatory nature. This lout was probably eyeing her up right now, a lecher through and through. Bending down, she reached out to pick up the feather duster. Part of it had gone underneath the bed, leaving the handle sticking out. From where she stood, she could make out some boxes, a suitcase, and bungee cords lying underneath the bed.

It was as she grabbed the handle that she felt the back of her skirt move and two big hands cup her ass. Instantly, she stiffened. "Oh, don't be like that," she heard the judge coo from behind her, his fingers squeezing her rump gently. "Get back to work, my cute little maid."

The words from the maid from earlier came back to Videl's head. So this was why she said "Before the Judge comes back." Videl was getting the sick feeling that this guy liked to fraternize with the help. It really put into perspective his idea for these maid dresses.

A firmer squeeze tore Videl out of her musings. "Or you can stay like this. I don't mind," Michaels said in a leering tone. It made Videl grit her teeth in anger. Eyeing one of the bungee cords, she reached and grabbed one of them, standing back up as she held it in both hands at its ends.

"Sir, please stop touching me," she ordered sternly, dropping the mumbling act. That wouldn't get her anywhere except exciting the bastard more.

"I don't think so."

Tilting her head around, she looked at the judge's perverted face through half-lidded eyes. "Would his honor prefer something more stimulating to grab?"

Michaels smirked. "His honor would."

Videl gave him a small smile before she turned to face him, stepping back to sit on the bed. Already she could see the large man becoming more excited by her actions. He was anticipating what was to come next.

So was Videl.

The moment her backside touched the mattress, one of her leg's shot up, her foot slamming into his groin. Instantly, Michaels buckled forward, face flushing as he let out a pained gasp. Without hesitating, Videl thrust her arms forward, wrapping the bungee cord around his neck once, twice, and then she extended her arms out, tightening the cords around his neck.

Leaning back, Videl forced the judge forward to keep him off his balance. He was bigger and most likely stronger than her. The pain he was feeling in his balls would only last so long, even as he gasped for air. Making sure he had poor footing would give her an edge. As Michaels stumbled towards her, he reached out with both hands and caught himself on the mattress.

Now that just wouldn't do. As she stared into the judge's reddening face as it twisted with anger and oxygen deprivation, Videl jerked her left arm out, stretching the bungee cord somewhat due to its stretchy nature. Her bent elbow collided with the inside of the judge's, causing it to jerk outwards and for the larger man to buckle forward.

Michaels let out a gargled cry as he began to thrash. As he tried to push back, Videl let him as he started getting his footing. That was a mistake on his part as it allowed her to kick his balls again, causing him to fall right on top of her. "Oof!" _Oh god, did I just really say that?_ Seriously, a freaking cartoon sound effect comes out of her mouth when something heavy lands on her? It was a good thing Wildcat or Pirate weren't here, otherwise they would've laughed their asses off and she would've died from embarrassment.

It seemed though, whatever strength Michaels had left in him abandoned him at that point. He just laid his heavy body on her, weakly struggling before he went limp. Videl just kept holding the cord tant until she was sure he was dead. When she thought she had him, she moved the ends of the cord behind the man's head and put both ends in one hand. With the other, she placed two fingers on his neck, searching for his carotid pulse. It took her several seconds, but she eventually found a weak one, which annoyed her to no end. Reaching back around his head, she passed the cord's end back to that hand and pulled harder in both directions. She held it that way for a long while before she did the same maneuver to check again. This time she found no pulse.

Finally relaxing the cord, Videl let it go and then pushed against the larger man. It took quite a bit of her strength, the remaining she had left in her arms from strangling this bastard. Finally, his massive bulk rolled off her and off the bed, collapsing into a heap on the floor.

Alright, it was time to get out of here. Breathing heavily, Videl pushed herself into a seated position on the bed, ready to stand up when dread suddenly hit her. _Oh no, I screwed up._ She cursed under her breath. Michaels' death was supposed to look natural, accidental even. Instead she had suffocated the man with a rope no less. Looking to the judge's neck, she winced as she saw the rope burn around his neck. There was no way she could hide that.

She was so screwed.

_What to do, what to do…_ she wondered as she pressed a hand to the side of her face. Should she just leave and let people wonder who killed Michaels? As much as she didn't want to, that was the only course of action she had to her. It wasn't like people willingly choked themselves every day. A suicide would be a better alternative, but nothing in her research turned up anything about the guy having any such thoughts. Then again, most people never knew when someone was going to kill themselves.

Looking up, she lazily gazed at the room around her. She saw a ceiling fan, but doubted that would be of any use. She hadn't check the closet, yet there wouldn't be much of anything there to use either. Over to the dresser, she wondered if there were any ties that she could use to at least make some sort of noose. It was then she noticed the hook on the ceiling.

_Now why would a hook be there?_

From her experience, the judge liked to work over the maids, in more ways than one. Was the hook used at all? Eyes dropping to the floor, Videl pushed herself off the bed and kneeled down next to it, reaching under it to pull out one of the boxes. Setting it on the bed, she opened it and found black leather straps and metal chains. Oh, why wasn't she surprised to find this?

Eyeing the box and then the hook, a plan began to grow in her head.

After making sure the door was locked, Videl got to work. She stripped the judge of his clothes, tossing them onto the bed haphazardly. Reaching into box, she picked through several of its… contents, and began putting on various pieces on the body. Once she was satisfied with the outfit, she then began the arduous chore of dragging the judge's heavy body over to the hook. That took quite a bit of work and she wasn't even nearly done.

Retrieving a chair that had been in the corner of the room, she placed it under the hook and sighed as she stared at Michaels and the chair. Head moving between the two, she then looked to the wall and began to wonder if all this effort was worth it. Bending down, she then rolled Michaels to the wall and then began the long process of pushing the man up onto his feet, using the wall as support. Once he was standing, Videl pulled out the bungee cord and wrapped it around his neck again, using one of the hooks on the end and attaching it to the stretched out cord.

Now came another hard part. Doing her best to keep the judge against the wall, Videl managed to climb onto the chair. With the other end of the bungee cord in her hands, Videl then quickly pulled on it, angling it up to try and hook its end-hook on the hook on the roof. Michaels immediately leaned forward, dropping onto his knees and making his weight known to her. Arms shaking as she reached up, Videl gritted her teeth as she tried for the hook. It was almost a miracle that she got the ceiling hook and the bungee cord hook intertwined.

Instantly, Videl got off the chair and pushed it over onto its side. Glancing between the hanging judge's body and the hook on the ceiling, she really hoped it would stay that way long enough for her to get out of her. The ceiling could rip off after that.

Pulling her apron off, Videl then whipped the sides of the chair's back, making sure her fingerprints weren't on it. She did the same on the judge's neck and then the leather straps. She had to put the chair back up to wipe the cord, gently so that she didn't screw up all of her work. If only she had worn gloves…

Once done, she pushed the chair back over and moved to the bed. She wiped down the box and clothes, feeling her heart rate increasing as the seconds ticked by. She wanted out of here and she wanted out now. Satisfied by her cleaning, Videl picked up her feather duster and went to the door. Wiping down the door knob and lock, she left the room, making sure the door was shut behind her. Tying her apron back on, she then made her way down the halls.

Finally, she could leave.

* * *

**For those who are interested, we are a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stories such as this one. We're an open group, meaning that anyone can apply to join. Feel free to check out our forums, our Facebook page, and perhaps apply to join the group via the link on our profile. It's a great opportunity for those who would like to better their own writing abilities and exchange skills of the trade with fellow authors, or to simply be more a part of a writing community.**


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is brought to you by ShadowMajin.**

...

Videl got the message the moment she stepped off the plane in Orange Star. There was no name, just a series of digits, indicating the phone number. The message itself gave her pause though.

**Come home.**

She never got messages likes these. The only person that could've sent it was Father, and he usually sent his messages through contacts, like Maid. Direct contact was used sparingly, if not never. So instead of leaving the airport, Videl went to the nearest airline counter and bought a ticket to Blue Star City. She had to waste a couple hours in the terminal for her flight, but towards the end of the day the dark-haired woman was strolling through the Blue Star Terminal.

After renting out a car, Videl drove into the city until she finally reached the base. Parking across the street from Royal & Rayne Real Estate, Videl paused as she looked at the office's front. It had been awhile since she had been here. Had to have been when she was first enrolled in Orange Star Law School, which was… over a year now. _Can't say I miss it all that much._

With a sigh, she killed the engine and pulled the key out of the ignition. Opening the car door, the dark-haired woman climbed out, slamming the door shut behind her. Walking across the street, Videl made her way to the real estate office and opened the door, walking inside. The waiting room greeted her, though unlike last time, there was someone here. Another dark-haired woman sat at one of the desks, dressed professionally, hair held in a bun. Meanwhile, Videl was there in casual wear. Yeah, this wasn't strange at all.

The woman looked up at her and stared. "You're wanted downstairs," she said.

Videl nodded her head. "I know." She had few encounters with Janus, mostly because the woman was usually away when she first got here. For some reason, she always got the feeling the older woman closed herself off to people. Her facade was inscrutable and very withdrawn. Sometimes Videl wondered what Janus was really like, but then she'd blow the thought off. It wasn't like they were friends or anything.

There was no further acknowledgement between the two women as Janus went back to whatever work she was doing and Videl made her way to the back. Getting in the elevator, she went down to the bottom floor and then continued walking towards Father's office.

She didn't bother knocking when she reached the office. After opening the door and walking through, closing it behind her, Videl walked to one of the chairs and sat in it. Father was sitting on the other side of the desk, looking down at what appeared to be a newspaper. He hadn't bothered looking up at her, completely focused on what he was reading. Videl didn't say a word to get his attention. She knew he would speak when ready.

After a while, Father finally said, "You know, I just can't figure it out. I've thought about it, really, I have, but the logic just escapes me." He looked up at her blankly. "Would you mind explaining it to me?"

Videl raised an eyebrow. "Explain what?"

The dark-haired man thrust the paper in front of her face, a picture of a rather dignified Judge Michaels staring back at her. The headline above the photo read: **FEDERAL JUDGE FOUND DEAD**.

After staring at it a moment, Videl leaned back and moved her head to a side so that she could look at her boss. "I'd say mission complete."

Father slammed the paper down on his desk. "Didn't I explicitly say to make it look like an accident?" he demanded heatedly.

"Well, technically the _file _said to."

"And it said to make it an accident. Now tell me, how, oh how, does," at this he looked down at the newspaper, pressing a finger on one of the paragraphs and dragged it along as he read out loud, "the judge being found 'wearing sadomasochistic clothing as he hung from a bungee cord tied to the ceiling' look accidental to you?" Leaning back in his seat, arms crossing over his chest, the dark-haired man added, "Really, I want to hear this."

Videl didn't meet his eyes as she looked down at the paper. She then shrugged her shoulders and said, "I was thinking on my feet."

Father stared at her for several moments before he leaned forward in his seat, entwining his fingers as he rested his forearms on his desk. "So let me get this straight. You thought a man wearing bondage shit and hanging himself from the roof was 'thinking on your feet'?"

Videl scowled. "That man was a sick pervert. He was freaking feeling me up before I strangled him."

"You… strangled him. With what?"

"With the bungee cord."

Father raised one of his hands and pressed it against his face. He made a very long, very deep breath and held it for a second before forcefully expelling it. "This is a goddamn catastrophe. Why didn't you just let him have his way with you?"

Videl's eyes blazed in fury. "The hell I'm going to take that! I didn't sign up to have some perverted tub of lard screw me so I can kill him!"

Father met her enraged face with his stony one. "That's exactly what you signed up for. You're supposed to get the job down by any means necessary, even if that includes screwing the target."

"Oh really? And when was the last time Wildcat or Pirate slept with a target?" she countered.

"You and I both know that's not their forte. Wildcat is too destructive to do subterfuge, and Pirate sticks out like a blue tomato. It makes no sense to use them that way."

"Then the same goes for me. I will not subject myself to that sort of work. Maybe Serpent and Janus don't mind, but I sure as hell do!"

"Oh, you will." Father's tone had dropped into a deadly tone. "You will do as I say, when I say it, how I say it. If that involves you getting gangbanged in some cheap motel, you'll bloody do it. You're my agent and you will do as you are ordered to do, got it?"

This time, Videl leaned forward in her chair. "So tell me then, _Dad_, how exactly did I fail my assignment? The target is dead. Everyone thinks he 'accidentally' hanged himself while getting off. None of the house staff has even questioned finding him in that state. It's practically been accepted by anyone that knew him! So how did I fail?"

The two of them stared at each in a battle of wills. There was no way Videl was going to back down. If she did, she knew Father would send her on another assignment that put her in the same damn position, but instead of fighting back she would have to take what was used against her. She would rather quit than let that happen. She'd rather let the entire agency hunt her down than to be subjected to that.

Fortunately, luck was smiling upon her today as Father broke eye contact to look at the newspaper again. He gazed upon the article for awhile before he winced and returned his attention to her. "Don't pull any more stunts like this again, you hear me? You got lucky this time. Screw up again and you won't have to worry about your success or lack thereof, understand?"

"Dress me up like a 13 year-old's sex fantasy again and you won't have to worry about taking another paternity test again, understand?" she returned.

The corner of Father's mouth twitched up. "That's a good one," he commended her. "I'll have to remember that one."

Videl just rolled her eyes before standing up, turning to leave.

Yet, it appeared her boss wasn't quite done with her. "Considering your refusal to take on certain jobs, it seems I'm gonna have to find out just where I can use you," the dark-haired man spoke, causing her to stop.

"I'll leave you to decide the details on that," Videl replied, not turning around to face him.

She heard a snort, then, "I already have."

Videl turned around just in time to see Father hold up a rather overstuffed manilla folder and drop it onto his desk. The dark-haired woman stared at it before looking to her boss.

"This is hot off the presses," he told her, lounging in his chair. Returning to the one she had just vacated, Videl opened the folder and began reading the first page. "One of our rivals just screwed up a job."

Videl stopped her reading and jerked her head up in astonishment. An incomplete job was rare these days. Most assassin agencies never let one slip through their fingers; if they did, it became open-season on the contract. There wasn't an agency that wouldn't swoop in to steal a job from one of the other groups, so it was stressed to all the agents to make sure the first attempt was the only attempt.

"Do you know who it was?" she finally asked when she found her voice again.

"I have a good idea," Father replied. "On which group," he added at the last second. "You know as well as I do no one shares who they are. We're lucky enough to even know agent names."

Videl let out a rather unladylike snort. "Considering how you've been trying to poach Android, I'm surprise anyone shares anything with you."

The dark-haired man smirked. "She's going to come around one of these days. And trust me, she'll be worth every penny to us."

"Are you saying we're not good enough?"

"Absolutely." The blunt answer caught Videl off-guard, causing her to stare at her boss. "Trust me when I say this, she's in an entirely different league than all of you put together."

This time the dark-haired woman sneered, one of her hands clenching tightly into a fist. "Well if she's so damn good, why do you bother keeping the rest of us around?"

"Because she said I can't pay her enough to keep her around. But don't you worry, I like the rest of you enough to hang onto you even if she decided to join us."

"My job security thanks you."

Father just smirked at her before glancing down to his watch. "Uh oh, looks like you and I are out of time. I've got another meeting starting any minute now." He began waving his hand towards her, indicating that she should start leaving. "Time for you to go, shoo, shoo."

"Fine." Grabbing the folder, Videl stood up and began to leave. When she reached the door, she stopped and turned to look back at the dark-haired man. "By the way, how long do I have?"

"I highly recommend you do it as soon as possible. Who knows if the other agencies have heard about this. Though I will make some calls, try to calls dibs on it and buy you more time."

Videl smirked. "What would I do without you." Then without waiting for a response, she left the office.

...

When Videl exited the elevator on the ground floor, she froze in her tracks. Standing right in front of the doors was a beautiful blonde woman. She was dress expertly in a blouse and pinstripe skirt. Her cold blue eyes bore into Videl's and she faintly wondered if lazer beams were about to fire from them.

Alarm bells were going off in her head. She hadn't seen this woman before in her life and here she was, standing in front of one of the entrances to the base below. Part of her wanted to lunge and take the woman out; it was company policy to make sure no one without clearance had knowledge of the underground levels. Yet, this blonde woman's gaze halted her.

Somewhere in the back of her head, she felt as if she looked like someone she knew.

"Are you going to stand there all day?" the mystery woman suddenly asked, sounding put out. "Or are you going to get out of my way?"

Videl's fingers twitched. She had a gun in the waistband of her pants, its handle pressing into her back. It'd take her two seconds to have it pulled out. That was too long if this stranger wished to attack her. It also didn't help that she had that gigantic folder being held against her side by her arm. So instead of going for that shoot-first option, she decided on a more diplomatic one instead. "Who are you?"

"None of your concern."

"Oh, I think it is."

The blonde just continued to stare. It was a bit freaky to be honest. It was as if she didn't care that an assassin was standing right in front of her. However, if she was feeling anything, her voice gave her away. "Janus already cleared me," she said with annoyance in her tone.

"Did she? Well then excuse me for being skeptical." _Oh yeah, Janus gave her clearance. Pfft, that could easily be code for "I shot her in the face."_ Videl held her ground as she tilted her head, eyeing her taller foe. "Did she give you a badge?"

The woman lowered her head down, her face finally showing her irritation. "You don't have badges here. I've been here before so get out of my way before I make you get out."

The dark-haired woman maintained her gaze. "I'd like to see you try."

This time a very familiar smirk appeared on her face. It was small and teasing, as if she knew something and was holding it over Videl's head. "Believe me, if I wanted to, it would be done."

The door to the elevator began to slide close, to which Videl roughly shoved her hand against and stopped it. "Any time, any place," she growled.

"Devil," a new voice piped up. Both women turned their heads towards the front of the building, seeing Janus standing just outside of the hall. "Leave her be," the older woman said calmly.

Videl scowled and turned it on the blonde. Her counterpart looked amused, a small, teasing smile on her face. A phone began ringing and Janus turned away to go answer it. Still, the two women stared at each other until Videl finally gave in. Purposefully, she pushed past the blonde, their shoulders roughly bumping against each other. She didn't even offer an apology for it. It seemed the blonde didn't mind as her high-heels clicked and clacked into the elevator and its metal doors closed soon after.

Already Videl wasn't in a good mood. This just made it even worse. She really, really, _really_ wanted to shoot something and she wasn't going to go to the shooting range down below. There was one on the outskirts of town she could use, but then she would have to wait until the morning before getting onto another flight.

Speaking of which, she needed to talk to Janus about that. Surely she would have arranged one when the dark-haired girl came in. Stopping in the mainroom, she turned towards Janus' desk. Much to her surprise, the older woman looked stunned, if not a little pale. It was fortunate that she was sitting in her chair, otherwise she looked as if she would've dropped to the floor. A phone was held against her ear, her hand holding the bottom of the device as its base was pressed against her shoulder by the side of her head. Videl couldn't help but notice how slack her hand grip was, though.

And then, in the softest voice Videl had ever heard Janus use, she said, "I… understand. T-thank you." Slowly, the older woman moved the phone and dropped it on its stand, the device bouncing off of it and falling to the floor. Had it not been for the cord, it would clattered on the ground instead of dangling over it.

"Janus? You okay?" Videl asked as she approached the desk. She was taken back by the empty expression on the other woman's face. It was because of that that Videl bothered grabbing the phone and placing it back on its base. "Hey, Janus. Earth to Janus," she tried again.

It was then the dark-haired girl noticed it. Janus was shaking, slightly at first, but slowly growing more noticeable. Her glazed eyes were becoming wetter too. Then, before Videl could react, Janus collapsed onto her desk, her arms crossed over each other and her forehead resting on them, hiding her face from the world. A muffled sob reached Videl's ears, stunning her further. What the hell was going on?

And she let the other woman know just how she felt. "What the hell, Janus!" she exclaimed. "Pull yourself together! You're a professional, remember?" The longer Videl stared at Janus' trembling form, the more uncomfortable she grew. Was this how men felt when they saw a crying woman? Ugh, this was terrible.

When it became apparent that Janus wasn't going to stop, Videl just looked down at her in disgust. Hey, she had tried snapping her out of it, but it was clear that the older woman just wasn't going to do that. Looking away, her eyes trailed across the desk and fell across a piece of paper with an airline logo on it. Picking it up, she saw the purchase of a plane ticket back to Orange Star, departure time… in a couple hours. Looked like she wouldn't be going to the shooting range after all.

Sticking the sheet between the large folder and her arm, Videl gave one last glance to Janus before turning away and walking to the door.

…

**For those who are interested, we are a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stories such as this one. We're an open group, meaning that anyone can apply to join. Feel free to check out our forums, our Facebook page, and perhaps apply to join the group via the link on our profile. It's a great opportunity for those who would like to better their own writing abilities and exchange skills of the trade with fellow authors, or to simply be more a part of a writing community.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is brought to you by ShadowMajin**

...

Videl poured over the file for what felt like the hundredth time. There was something missing here, she just knew it. Why she couldn't figure it out was a source of growing frustration that was really getting to her.

She had difficult assignments before, but there was always some weakness she could exploit. So far this new target was proving to be more difficult.

This time was a senator, Mao Ox-King. As far as she could tell, the guy spent most of his time in the capital doing senator-like things. Committee hearings, votes, mugging for the press, stuff like that. Whenever he wasn't there, he traveled with a security entourage that made getting close to the man damn near impossible. That just left her with a long-distance option, something she normally preferred. Unfortunately, it wasn't explained in the file how the target was supposed to be taken out. Usually she was given a scenario that needed to be put in place, but here there was nothing. While that left her with free-reign on how to take Ox-King out, it left her vulnerable if Father had something else in mind and didn't tell her. This could be a test to determine what she would do if given a choice, and she could fail even if she succeeded in killing the target.

_You leave one dead judge in a compromising position_…

Sighing, Videl leaned back in her chair. She wasn't getting anywhere, at least on her own. Maid had been helping her too, and even _she _was stumped by this guy. Two smart women were befuddled by some middle-aged redneck—what were the odds?

What made things worse was that Videl had an imaginary clock ticking in her head. While she hadn't been given a specific deadline to get this done, she just knew Father was watching his stopwatch and wondering why she hadn't made a move yet. The only saving grace she had going for her was that no one else had taken a shot at Ox-King, so he was still in play.

The sound of the front door opening reached the dark-haired woman's ears then, informing her that Maid was back. The door was shut a moment later and the blonde came rushing in, catching Videl's attention. "I got it," Maid proclaimed proudly as she came to a stop right next to the dark-haired woman.

Videl raised an eyebrow. "Got what?"

A smirk appeared on the blonde's face. "Ox-King is coming to Orange Star next week." At this, Videl jolted in her seat, her full attention on her partner. Maid looked even more pleased by the reaction. "Am I good, or am I good?"

"When and where," Videl demanded. She would deal with the blonde's ego later, right now she had the break she desperately needed.

"His assistant just reserved an office building a few blocks away from downtown. Apparently he's coming in for a public relations tour to support this district's senator." While she spoke, Maid had opened Videl's laptop and waited for it to boot up. Once it was ready to go, she opened a web browser and brought up a map of Orange Star City. From there she went to the building in question and stepped back so that Videl could get a better look. "He'll be using this place as his base of operations for a few days."

Videl nodded her head as she absorbed this information. She was going to have to make a trip to the area to scout it out. "How did you find out about this?"

"Trade secrets, Devil," Maid teased, wagging a finger at her. "You mind telling me how you intend on getting up close to this guy?"

"I'm not." At this, Videl got out of her seat and walked over to her closet. Opening it, she reached for a long rectangular case on the top shelf and pulled it down. "While you've been doing what you do, I've been looking up Ox-King's security detail. From what I can tell, these guys wouldn't let a stray wind touch the senator, much less me."

Maid watched her bring the black case to the bed and lie it down. "So you're going to snipe him," she stated disapprovingly. "You know, this isn't going to get you on Father's good side."

"Then he can find a way to kill Ox-King," the dark-haired woman retorted as she opened the case, revealing her disassembled sniper rifle resting in its cushioned bed. Picking up the base, she held it up, pointing it towards the wall in front of her as she stared down its top, imagining the extended barrel at its end. Lowering it, she then went about checking it to make sure it was still in working order. "I refuse to be felt up again. That was disgusting and—" At this she stopped talking as Maid snorted.

Looking to the blonde, Videl scowled at her. Maid glanced to her before jerking away as her face twisted comically. "It wasn't funny," the dark-haired woman growled.

Maid burst out laughing, ignoring Videl's heated glare. "Oh, I'm sure it wasn't," Maid managed to say after a while. "I'm sure the judge was completely serious, especially when he wanted to bang his gavel." The blonde giggled incessantly at that lame joke.

"Oh, you wouldn't be laughing it it was you he was trying to 'bang his gavel' on," Videl grumbled as she turned back to her rifle.

"And that's why you don't see Father using me for those kind of missions. I'm his last resort, his clean-up crew, the person that tidies up after all you macho ladies make a mess." Maid's smiling face dropped as her mood soured. "By the way, I'll have you know that it wasn't easy fixing that mess of yours in North City."

This time, Videl smirked. "And what's so hard about explaining away a judge accidentally hanging himself while he tried to suffocate for a better orgasm? I've heard that's all the rage nowadays."

"Oh, now you think it's funny," Maid groused. "You'd be surprised at how many people had no idea why his body was hanging. Hell, I had no idea until a reporter mentioned it."

"I'm failing to see how you had to clean up anything."

"I suppose you forgot about a certain maid that told you to go up to the judge's bedroom. How I had to bribe her to keeping quiet about you being there and then erasing any evidence you had even been in the mansion at all. That's one thing you hired guns forget: you always leave evidence behind, be it a bullet casing, fingerprints, or an eyewitness."

Videl just rolled her eyes. She'd humor Maid's lecture since she seemed to think she was so important. The dark-haired girl had destroyed any physical evidence she had been there as she usually did. Maid was just a glorified janitor. Besides, Wildcat was the one she was usually cleaning up behind anyways. "What would we ever do without you, Maid. I'm surprised we've ever gotten as far as we have without you."

Maid didn't catch her sarcasm as she tilted her nose up, pleased at the "compliment." She was just so gullible.

Picking up the barrel, Videl attached it to the rifle's base, looking for any catch as she screwed the metal shaft in. Satisfied when she finished the attachment without any noticeable hesitation, she turned away from Maid and raised the gun again, looking down it again to make sure everything lined up. She could already image Ox-King's face on the other end, his bearded face covered by the sight at the end of the barrel.

...

Videl entered the building, her rifle case hanging from her hand. Walking down the hallway, she kept her eyes open for any potential eyewitness that could spot her. While it would be messy, she'd have to dispatch them and leave them behind as evidence—that was why she openly carried a handgun with a silencer attached in her hand. This job was high-profile, no matter what angle she tackled it. That wasn't to say Judge Michaels wasn't high-profile, but his death was going to be quiet in comparison to what she was about to do.

She was currently in the back of the building, whereas she needed to be on the opposite side. Taking a turn at an intersecting hallway, she kept tilting her head side to side, not seeing anyone, thankfully. The sound of her footsteps on the dingy floor was the only thing she could hear. That was a good sign in her book, meaning that there wasn't a regular janitorial service that cleaned this building. Though it was odd for there to be an abandoned building so close to the downtown sector—there was a "For Sale" sign out front—the dark-haired woman wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Reaching the end of her current corridor, her path allowing her to go only left or right, she picked the left hall and continued walking. There were a few doors at regular intervals. Stopping at one, she raised a gloved hand and opened the door, please to find it unlocked. Looking into the room, she saw a window on the opposite side and noticed that this didn't provide the view she wanted. Not bothering to close the door, she moved on a couple more doors before opening another, once again sticking her head in and finding that the view still wasn't adequate.

However, this one was better than the previous room. Going to the next door, Videl opened it and peaked in, finding the sight she wanted. Stepping in and closing the door behind her, the dark-haired woman moved to the window and looked through it. Across the street sat Ox-King's office building with a direct line to a window. According to the office building's blueprint, that should be the room that the senator was using.

Glancing about the room, she found it empty. That didn't please her, but then the perfect setup for a shooting rarely existed. There was a reason snipers prefered using rooftops with their side railings. Those were ready-made rifle stands. Unfortunately for her, if she wanted an improvised tri-stand, she'd have to open the window and stick the barrel of her gun out. As if she wanted to give away her position before she even took a shot.

Setting down her case, she placed her silencer-attached gun on the floor and faced her case, undoing the latches and opening it. Her disassembled rifle lay before her, just waiting to be used. Picking up the base, she took her time screwing on the barrel, attaching the scope soon after. She held up the rifle, the butt of the gun resting against her shoulder as she extended her arms out to hold it up. The dark-haired woman looked through the scope, finding a blurred picture of the wall. Pivoting on her feet, she turned to face the window and saw blurred glass. Reaching up, she adjusted the sight and the sight cleared up.

Satisfied for the moment, she lowered the rifle down, grabbing a set of noise-cancelling headphones. While she didn't want to prevent herself from hearing someone sneaking up on her, she didn't want the loud explosion of gunfire in an enclosed room blowing out her eardrums. With one hand she maneuvered the headphones until it rested against her neck, hanging down onto her chest. Next, she picked up a cartridge of rifle bullets and roughly inserted it into her gun.

She was almost ready. Raising up gun again, Videl lowered herself down until she had one knee resting on the floor, the heel of her foot resting against her butt. Her other leg was bent at the knee, extended out with the bottom of her foot on the floor. Looking through the scope, she began adjusting the sight again until she could see not only through her window, but through Ox-King's. It took several moments, but she got the view she wanted. From what she could see, there was a door directly across from the window she was spying through. There was some carpeting, but other than that, she didn't notice much.

From there Videl waited. She wasn't going to get ready until she saw movement through that window, when she'd know someone was in there. For once, she showed an amazing amount of patience if she didn't say so herself. Normally she wanted things to happen now, now, now, but when it came to this, she was more than willing to wait for the perfect moment.

It also didn't hurt when her patience was rewarded. Seeing a figure, Videl lowered the rifle down and placed her headphones over her ears. Raising the gun back up, she looked through the scope and found the same thing she had been staring at.

She grumbled, but continued her watch. After a couple minutes, she shifted her stance, laying her other leg on the ground and propping the other up in a reverse of her earlier pose. Eventually she saw movement again, this time seeing a man appear. He was a tall guy from what she could tell, thin, and dark hair that was spiked upwards. Videl knew that wasn't Ox-King nor recognized him from any intel she had on the senator. So he was either a recently hired assistant or a citizen that got lucky enough to see his representative. Regardless, he was unimportant.

Staring at him for a moment, she took note of his clothes, a badge catching her eye. "Blue Star Tribune," Videl muttered softly. "P. Kay." So she was wrong, a reporter was here. She'd have to do some background on the guy to make sure he wouldn't be a loose end.

Then again, why not shoot first and ask questions later?

Currently, Kay was looking somewhere to his left, talking. Hopefully that was Ox-King. Eventually, the man moved out of the sight of the window. To that Videl took in a deep breath and blew it loudly out through her nostrils. Okay, maybe she had been exaggerating about how patient she was when it came to these jobs. Who would blame her though? She wasn't in exactly the most ideal stance for firing her gun, and her legs were starting to protest from their uncomfortable positions.

Switching legs again, Videl regripped her rifle and continued to stare. It was then that a much larger man with a beard appeared and Videl smirked.

There he was, her target. Her rifle's safety was off in a blink of an eye. She maneuvered the crosshairs of her scope until the intersecting point was right on the side of the senator's head.

Videl squeezed the trigger.

She faintly heard the rifle fire, feeling the recoil an instant later. Her sight jerked up, but she had it back down immediately, which allowed her to watch as Ox-King seemed to lunge away from her and fall. He disappeared out of her view and she held herself steady. Seconds passed before she became sure that the senator wasn't going to be standing—or doing anything else that was a part of living—again.

Upon seeing the door open and another person enter, pausing only for a moment before rushing over to Ox-King, Videl felt she had achieved her objective. In a flash, she was disassembling her rifle, its magazine, scope, barrel, and base being placed in their designated places. It was like she was on autopilot with how quickly and efficiently she did it. The headphones were tossed in at the last moment and the case was shut, the buckles locking in a moment later.

And she was off. Grabbing her gun, she quickly marched to the door and swung it open. A look to her right, then left, told her she was still by herself and she didn't waste any time walking back the way she came. She made the correct turn, went to the end of that hall, and made the next one until she came to the door she had entered earlier. Pushing that open, she was outside now, her car parked nearby.

Moving towards the back, she placed her case down on the ground and reached into her pocket, retrieving her keys. Hitting the clicker button, the trunk popped open and she pushed its lid up. Reaching back down, she picked up her case and placed it in the truck, slamming it shut a second later. Videl was moving to the driver's side again, this time not bothering to unlock the car as she already knew it was open. Opening the driver's door, she climbed into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut behind her. Popping open the center console, she stuck her handgun in it and closed it.

A key found its way into the ignition and the car's engine roared to life. Shifting the gear to drive and pressing the accelerator, Videl was off. A bubble of dark humor formed in her stomach. She wondered if she'd be getting another annoyed text from Father about this. Considering that she hadn't been all too quick with the job and the impending investigation that was about to happen, she could just picture the pissed look the dark-haired man would have when she saw him again.

Not that she cared.

…

**For those who are interested, we are a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stories such as this one. We're an open group, meaning that anyone can apply to join. Feel free to check out our forums, our Facebook page, and perhaps apply to join the group via the link on our profile. It's a great opportunity for those who would like to better their own writing abilities and exchange skills of the trade with fellow authors, or to simply be more a part of a writing community.**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter is brought to you by ShadowMajin**

…

Videl closed the door to her dorm, her rifle case in hand. Walking to her room, she immediately went to her closet and placed the case on its shelf. She'd clean it later; right now she needed to erase any evidence that she had shot someone. It was a common problem she had with using guns. The residue from the fired bullet, though invisible to the eye, was present on her clothes. It'd take a few cycles in the washing machine, but she'd get rid of that residue before anyone ever turned an eye to her.

Of course, if she did her job right no one would ever consider her a suspect. And she had done her job correctly.

Stripping off her shirt and pants, she tossed them onto the floor. Walking to her dresser, she opened one of the drawers and pulled out one of her oversized t-shirts and a pair of shorts. Removing her bra and underwear after that, she put on the shirt and shorts. Picking up her discarded clothes, she shoved them into her laundry bag. Alright, now she just needed to head down to the basement of the door and see if one of the washing machines was free.

With her detergent, a little baggy full of coins, and the laundry bag hanging by her shoulder, Videl exited her room, heading for the main door. In the little main room, she spotted Maid wearing a similar outfit to the dark-haired woman. The blonde was sitting on a chair, her legs brought up onto the seat. She was looking at the television, glancing to Videl for only a moment before returning her sight to the tube. "You made the news," she commented distractedly.

Videl slowed to a stop, turning to look to the television. A reporter from some newschannel was standing in front of Ox-King's office, talking quickly about the senator's death. A banner at the bottom of the screen declared the words _SENATOR ASSASSINATED_.

"What have they said so far?" she asked curiously.

"Just that Ox-King had been shot, the building locked down, and all the usual stuff," Maid summarized. She then perked up. "Oh, and the NAIE is coming in to personally investigate."

"Big guns," the dark-haired woman commented. "Any idea who's leading the investigation?"

Maid shrugged. "I'm sure you're familiar enough with all that law enforcement jurisdiction stuff."

"So it's one big mess with no one really in charge. Perfect." That at least had been Videl's experience when it came down to local PDs and the NAIE. Both sides would argue for control of the crime scene until someone with enough brass balls showed up and put their foot down. Most of the time it was someone from the NAIE that did it. It had never been Videl's favorite part as a cop, and it happened with an annoying frequency that made her go drink a few times.

Before she could leave, though, Maid's cell phone lit up, vibrating on the small table next to her chair. Picking up the phone, the blonde looked at the screen for a moment before she said, "Father wants us in Blue Star in the next couple of days."

Videl rolled her eyes. "Just so he can ream my ass out about this. There's just no pleasing the guy."

Maid smirked at the remark before glancing back down at her phone. "Oh, he also says 'good job.'"

Videl paused before turning her head to stare at her roomie. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope." The blonde stuck her phone towards the dark-haired woman. "See?"

Not bothering to get a closer look, Videl decided to take the woman at her word. "Never thought I'd see that. Does he say when he wants us in?"

"Just in a couple of days. I guess that means we can show up in the morning or afternoon."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm planning on sleeping in tomorrow. Besides, I have to attend class. I've got it on good authority one of my professors plans on calling on me in class, so I need to at least be prepared for it."

Maid giggled. "Well, you better start studying up on that. I'll arrange our flight so don't worry about that."

Videl sent the blonde a grin. "Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have laundry to do."

…

The news coverage was neverending. It was always like that. The oversaturation of information was as overwhelming as it was mind-numbing.

Regardless, it did not take away from the fact that a high-profile target was dead. This, coupled with the revelation of an internal strife occurring at a rival agency presented a muddled picture that would not be cleared up by the droning of television personalities.

For Agent 16, the question of who had successfully killed Target #0174 held much importance. The media coverage of the event had been ongoing since the day before and showed no evidence of slowing down. According to intelligence gathered by Agent 19, the assassin known as Kakarot had been eliminated in his attempt to terminate the Target #0174. This led to the uncommon opportunity of an unfulfilled contract being offered to all agencies and their operatives. That assignment had not been given to 16, so he had not become involved in the matter. The Great Creator, Gero, made all such decisions, and it was illogical to disobey his orders.

Shutting off his access to the newsfeed, 16 continued to rest in his stasis pod. While rest was not an accurate word as he required none, it was to these pods that all of the agents returned to following a completed assignment, and awaited a new order. A remote server provided access to all information available. This was how the large man spent his excess time, reviewing modern culture and staying informed of current developments.

He wore only his black, spandex suit. It covered his bulky frame from neck to toe. It was the model of functionality, and allowed for maximum maneuverability while providing modesty as was demanded by social norms. His green armor rested on the floor in pristine condition, awaiting his next assignment as it was given.

Between assignments, 16 had much time for himself. Scanning internet information sources could only occupy a person's time for so long. Occasionally, his mind would illogically wander, a peculiar trait most associated with targets. At first he found it entirely unnecessary and a waste of time better spent productively. However, these moments had been occurring more frequently as of late.

His current interest resided in the other agents in his profession. The database he had access to informed him of many of them and their accomplishments. At times it made him wonder how his abilities compared to the others; there was a wide range of tactics that were used and it made him curious as to their effectiveness. How did those tactics compare to his own? Were they more efficient or was his? If it was the former, it would be necessary to incorporate the skills necessary to carry out the stratagem initiated for his own use.

Until Gero deemed it necessary, however, a meeting with a fellow assassin was highly improbable. Yet, he could simulate such an encounter. After all, he had plenty of time to do so.

…

The office was surprisingly locked when Videl and Maid arrived. Startled at first, Maid had to dig through the mysterious vortex that was her purse to find the keys to the door. Videl was still amazed at the sheer number of things the blonde kept in that tiny bag. A wallet, checkbook, makeup kit, address book, sunglasses, credit card case, several pens, a candle for some odd reason, a romance novel, a set of keys that only had keys for her car and the dorm, and a tiny bottle of water had been placed on the ground so that Maid could finally locate the office key.

Once inside, they found Janus' desk empty without a single piece of paper anywhere to at least pretend someone had been working there. A sinking feeling had begun growing in Videl's stomach at that point. She had promptly unlocked the safety on her gun. Maid immediately pulled out a much smaller gun from her purse and did the same, keeping it out of sight by hiding it back in her purse, her hand still holding it.

Once on the lower levels, their trepidation increased ten-fold as they found Father in his office, damn near a wreck. Though his clothes were immaculate as usual, his office looked as if a tornado had blown through as chairs were overturned and folders and documents were tossed about.

Even more alarming was Pirate, Serpent, and Wildcat standing along the wall on either side of the door. The moment Father saw them, he snapped, "It's about damn time you got here."

Maid was immediately cowed by the dark-haired man's tone. That left it up to Videl to find out just what the hell was going on. "What happened to you?" she asked bluntly, arms crossing over her chest.

Father's eyes drilled in her and Videl had to admit they made her quite uncomfortable. "What do you mean 'what happened?'" he snarled before whipping around and swinging his fist out, knocking a desk lamp off his desk. The dark-haired woman faintly wondered how it had still been there considering the rest of the mess on the floor.

"Have you been living under a rock or something?" he demanded as he turned back around to face her. "It's been all over the Kami-damn news!"

For once, Videl felt her more abrasive nature was not needed here, not with the way her boss seemed completely unhinged. Holding her hands up low in an non-threatening manner, she tried to calm him down as she spoke slowly, "Maid and I just got off a plane an hour ago. We haven't seen any sort of news since we got a car and drove here."

Father continued to glare at her before he raised a hand in the air and exaggeratedly waved it around in front of him. It looked as if the dark-haired man wanted to say something, but his anger was getting the better of him and he couldn't speak a word. Instead he just spun around and stormed off to a corner in the back of the room.

Alright, Videl knew something was up. Never had she seen the boss act this bizarre. What happened between now and that text she had gotten saying "Good job"? Unfortunately, she got the feeling that if she kept asking questions, it would only serve to piss off Father more than he already was.

Apparently, Serpent decided it was okay to fill her in. "There's been a bombing in Orange Star," she informed the Videl and Maid, much to their surprise. "So far all we know is that it happened at the Carlton Gates and Agent Android was involved."

Well, that was surprising. The Carlton Gates was the most expensive hotel in the entire city, and you just didn't hear about high-profile news about it unless it involved some celebrity trashing a room. Then again, that had happened only once, as anyone with a remote history of room-trashing was never allowed on the premises.

Seeing that Maid was still not going to speak, Videl asked, "So she blew up the hotel? Is that it?"

Serpent shook her head, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders. "Android was blown up in the hotel, or so our source there tells us."

And the surprises just kept on coming. Though, the dark-haired woman really couldn't find it in her to be sad about this. The last time she and Agent Android had met, they hadn't left on less than amicable terms. Yet, something was bothering her about this whole thing. "Okay," she said slowly. "I don't see how this involves us. It wasn't like she was part of the agen—"

A gun fired, a bullet whizzing by the side of Videl's head. It was almost a delayed reaction as the feeling of wind blowing by her head began to fill her head seconds after the shot and became more and more profound. Startled, all of the women in the room turned to the source of the shot, hands going to their gun of choice and froze before they could pull even one of them out.

An enraged Father held his gun tightly, aiming it right at Videl. If his manic state earlier had been alarming, his face twisted into an expression of crazed mania made him look even more unhinged. None of the agents moved, their eyes glued to Father and not wanting to invoke any more of his anger.

"You want to know, huh? Do you?" Father demanded as he walked towards Videl, his steps appearing awkward as his hips jerked from side to side. "BECAUSE I SAY IT DOES!" he roared, causing them all to flinch. Then, with a much calmer voice, he said, "Now, for once in your miserable, little life, Devil, you are going to do as I order, when I order it, how I order it. Otherwise, I'm going to blow your goddamn brains all over the fucking wall, you fucking bitch!"

Videl swallowed and nodded her head.

Amazingly enough, Father seemed placated by that answer, though he didn't lower his gun. "Now, I want to know everything that happened at that damn hotel. I don't care what you do, beg, borrow, steal, kill, or fuck, just get me that info. I want to know who was responsible for this and where they are. All of your current assignments as of right now are suspended. You will live, breathe, and sleep this case. Am I understood?"

All of the women straighten their posture and nodded their heads. For extra emphasis, they simultaneously answered, "Yes, Sir."

"Good!" Father was smiling as if nothing had happened and waved the gun to indicate they could leave. "Now get to it. I expect good news, ladies!"

Immediately, they all filed out of the room, heading down the hallway as a group. None of them uttered a word until they were safely in their personal breakroom.

"Well, that was fun," Wildcat immediately said sarcastically. She then looked pointedly at Videl. "I'ze just love the way ya kept flappin' those lips of yours. Really kept diggin' that hole."

Videl scowled at the blonde. "My point still stands," she returned heatedly. "Android isn't one of us. Hell, she kept turning Father down repeatedly when he tried to recruit her. I'd understand if he wanted revenge for one of us going down, but not some outsider that wants nothing to do with us."

That made Wildcat pause. It made her use that underdeveloped brain of her for once and it seemed to be causing her some pain from the way her face scrunched up. "Yous make a good point," she finally admitted.

There was a soft chuckling from the corner of the room, drawing all of the attention to Pirate. She wasn't one to talk much, so when actually noises came from her, it tended to make everything stare at her. "It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" she said amusedly. "Ever notice just how similar they look? As if they were twins?"

An image of Android and Father popped up in Videl's head, conveniently side-by-side. Now that Pirate mentioned it, yeah, they did look alike. A lot alike. Hell, if the boss died his hair blonde, they would've looked like sisters.

Serpent groaned at that. "You've got to be kidding me. Father wants us to run roughshod on a personal case? What kind of idiot is he? The first rule is to never make jobs personal."

Videl was inclined to agree. Fortunately, it was Maid who responded to the comment. "You guys just lay low around Father. I'll take care of this."

Wildcat beamed at her. "Now that's what I'ze like ta hear. Yous get on that, missy, and we'll stay out of the way."

Maid turned away and started walking towards the door. Videl, however, caught sight of the blonde rolling her eyes just before she reached it and exited the room. Regardless, this was one troublesome meltdown avoided.

While she could see someone like Serpent being able to go retrieve intelligence, Pirate and Wildcat had some problems. The former stuck out like sore thumb, even so far as calling attention to her because men were horny pigs, so she was pretty much useless unless you wanted to call attention to the agency's comings and goings. As for Wildcat, she pretty much had zero tolerance for things outside of shooting or blowing it up. Again, another agent useless for intelligence gathering. So of course having Maid do all the heavy lifting on this was the smart choice. Hell, the dark-haired woman prefered it over doing it herself. She just knew she'd be sent into the field with Serpent and Janus if…

Wait, hold on a second. Where was Janus?

Looking around, she didn't see the woman anywhere. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't been in Father's office either. "Has anyone seen Janus?" she asked the others, looking at each of them as they turned to look back at her.

"On leave," Serpent replied flippantly. "She had some personal business come up and took off. Not sure when she'll be back."

Videl wasn't sure if she should have been surprised or not. Now that she knew, she honestly couldn't see any reason why she cared about what was going on with Janus. Oh well, it was her problem.

…

**For those who are interested, we are a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stories such as this one. We're an open group, meaning that anyone can apply to join. Feel free to check out our forums, our Facebook page, and perhaps apply to join the group via the link on our profile. It's a great opportunity for those who would like to better their own writing abilities and exchange skills of the trade with fellow authors, or to simply be more a part of a writing community.**


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter is brought to you by ShadowMajin.**

**Scenes from **_**The Z Identity**_ **will be showing up in this and future chapters.**

…

The door swung open as Maid sauntered in, holding several files in one of her arms. "You can hold your applause," she declared as she went directly to a table, setting the files on top of it.

Videl raised an eyebrow as she watched the blonde's antics. The dark-haired woman was seated in a chair, leaning it back to the point it stood on its two back legs. She was currently using the very table Maid had walked up to as her balance, her knees pressed against the bottom of the wooden furniture. Wildcat was further back in the room, pausing in her cleaning of one of her pistols, an oil-dirtied rag gripped in one hand and the gun in her other.

When Maid surveyed the room and only saw the two of them, a flash of disappointment appeared on her face. Apparently she had expected the whole crew here, since the break room had become their refuge from Father's idiotic demands. He rarely ever came here on a normal day, so when he was as worked up as he currently was, the man basically holed up in his office and never came out. Serpent and Pirate had slipped out earlier to see to more important matters, and there was no telling when they would be back. Thus why only Videl and Wildcat were still here.

"What'd yous find, Maid?" Wildcat asked, returning her attention back to her gun.

Putting up her best face, the young woman answered as she opened one of the files, "Well, according to a contact of ours in the NAIE, there's a person of interest involved with the Carlton Gates bombing."

Maid deliberately paused, milking her self-created suspense for all it was worth. Videl rolled her eyes. This blonde was so attention-needy. For the sake of getting her to actually continue, the dark-haired woman prodded, "So who's the suspect?"

A sheet of paper slid towards her on top of the desk, coming to a stop in front of her. She had a bad angle of the sheet due to her balancing act, so she couldn't only make out some black wording and a possible picture of someone's face. "That's the guy," Maid spoke as she pulled out another page and walked it over to Wildcat, dropping it on top of the blonde's gun cleaning kit, much to her ire. "The lead investigators managed to get a look at him from one of the security cameras outside of the hotel. His name is Paul Kay."

Videl frowned at that. The name Kay rang a bell in her head, but she couldn't quite place it. She knew she had seen it recently, but when and where was escaping her at the moment. Deciding to get a better look, she leaned forward, the front of her chair dropping to the floor with a loud _thump!_ Looking down on the sheet of paper, she stared at the black and white face before something clicked in her head and a sinking feeling dropped in her stomach.

That face, the hair, she'd seen this guy before! Her eyes traced over the masculine features, the small nose, wide eyes, and the spiky hair. Though it was only a picture of his head, Videl could clearly imagine a suit on his lanky frame, a press badge hanging from his lapel with P. Kay on it.

_Holy shit._

It was as if someone had walked over her grave; that was the best way she could describe the way she felt. The dark-haired woman had written him off as some nobody, no one of any importance, and then went and blew out the side of one of the wealthiest hotels in Orange Star, along with a reputable assassin. It wasn't uncommon that she made incorrect assumptions before, but never had any of them been so far off the mark as this one.

Wildcat's grouchy voice tore her out of her musings. "Is that all yous got? Just some picture of some guy?"

Maid frowned at her fellow blonde before she protested, "Hey, there's not a lot of info on this guy. I did background checks and all the other standards, and I came back with nothing. It's like the guy just popped out of nowhere and began tearing up the place."

It took a moment before that sentence registered in Videl's head. "You mean he's done more?"

Maid shrugged her shoulders. "Our source hinted at a car bombing a couple days ago. Killed a reporter from Blue Star City and a known assassin according to our database. Spawn, I think." Maid snorted then. "What kind of name is that, anyways? Did they think it sounded cool or something?"

Wildcat rolled her eyes. "Sounds like somethin' a guy thought up. Completely dumb, if you ask me."

The door to the break room swung open then. None of the women found this alarming until they realized it was Father stepping in. When they recognized him, they all immediately stiffened.

"That sounds like a completely awesome name to me," the dark-haired man declared as he strode into the room, coming to a stop right in front of Maid's stack of files. He picked up the top sheet he saw-another picture of Paul Kay-and glared at it. "So this is our guy?" he questioned.

Maid immediately nodded her head, a bit frantic. "Yeah, that's him. He was IDed outside of the hotel where the bombing took place."

Father raised an eyebrow and moved the paper to aside, still holding it at shoulder height while he looked at the blonde. "Outside? What about inside the building?"

This time, Maid shook her head. "There wasn't any footage found, not in the room it took place in, or the floor. Even the footage of the lobby and bar was missing. The current story running around is that this Kay guy took the footage on his way out, but forgot to get the outside ones."

Videl paused at that. Something about that didn't seem right. If you were going to remove all the security footage of yourself, why leave even one camera shot of you? It was completely counterproductive to what you were trying to do.

It seemed Wildcat was of the same mind as her as she spoke up, "That don't make no sense. If I'ze was goin' to delete security tapes, then I'ze make sure I got them all. Somethin' 'bout this don't feel right."

"I agree," Videl added. "Thanks to the missing feeds, we can't say for certain if this Kay guy really did bomb the building. All we can really say is that he was there."

"So what you're saying is this guy is a victim of circumstance?" Father asked, turning his blue eyes on to the dark-haired woman.

Videl just shrugged her shoulders. "He could be; I don't really know. But let's say for argument's sake that it was pure coincidence that he was there, and that some other assassin was in play. If I was that assassin, I would make sure there was a fall guy for something this big, just in case I needed one. Since this Kay guy is already wanted for another bombing in the city, he would make for a great patsy."

"Another bombing?"

The dark-haired woman turned her attention to Maid, who then Father and Wildcat looked to, putting her on the spot. "Car bombing," she spoke quickly. "Killed Spawn."

Father blinked his eyes. "Spawn's dead too?" The dark-haired man seemed stunned by this, so much so that he took a seat in a nearby chair. His eyes were wide, twitching from side to side. "That would make two…" he murmured.

"Two what?" Wildcat asked curiously.

That shook Father out of his stupor as he looked up to the blonde. "Spawn and Android work for the same agency. That's too much coincidence for me to believe this Kay guy is simply some guy caught up in unusual circumstances. It'd be one thing if both of them were on assignment and their targets got the better of them, but even then it's damn near impossible to have two different assassins killed within days of each other. I'm not even including Kakarot either, which would make three agent deaths within a month. That just doesn't happen."

That just blew Videl's mind. Three agents? _Three?_ Father was right, that just didn't happen. Now with the presence of Paul Kay involved, or at least implicated, with two of their deaths, it wasn't too much of a stretch to think he was also involved in the third's. Which then begged the question: was this Kay guy really knocking off assassins? He was certainly after or involved in a certain group; that much was clear.

"Hmm, and these dead guys," Wildcat said, sounding as if she were playing with an idea. "Who's they boss?"

Father glared at the blonde, who seemed unfazed by his look. "They're part of Frieza's group," he answered through gritted teeth. It was clear he didn't like Wildcat's nonchalant words.

"That right? Then I'ze say we let him keep doin' what he'ze doin'."

Father blinked his eyes bewildered at that. "Keep doing what now?"

Videl immediately picked up on what Wildcat was suggesting. "Frieza's group is the biggest assassin's agency out there. It's practically every other agency's rival considering its success. Now this Kay guy is running around, offing its agents and being pretty damn successful at it. Why would we want to stop him? I mean, he seems to know just who their agents are and where they'll be, or at the very least knows how to draw them in. With any luck, he could take out the entire agency."

The dark-haired man considered this, pondering in silence. "You know," he said after awhile, "I like the words coming out of your mouth. I like them a lot, actually. But there's still that matter of this guy killing my sister. That's still our primary objective."

Videl rolled her eyes. "And who says we still can't kill him? We just wait for him to finish out Frieza's guys and then kill him. It's a win-win for us."

Wildcat added, "And yous would be able ta see that if yous weren't goin' on and on about killin' the guy."

Father narrowed his eyes as he looked from Videl to Wildcat to Maid and back again. His mouth was pulled tight, and it was clear he was clenching his jaw tightly. It was an uncomfortable moment, but he ultimately relented to their points. "Fine then, you're right. This is too good of an opportunity to waste. But understand me, the moment he's done taking out Frieza's agency, I want someone blowing his freaking head off. Capiche?"

The tension evaporated with those words. Maid was the first one of them to respond, "I'll track this guy down, find out where he is. We'll be able to coordinate better from there."

"Perfect. Wildcat?"

"I'ze gonna be headin' to Orange Star. Once Maid's got Kay here pegged down, I'ze will follow him 'round till he's expendable."

"Well said. And you Devil?"

Videl raised an eyebrow. "I'm going back to school."

Father frowned at her. "No, you're not. You're going to-"

"I don't think you understand," she interrupted him. "I'm a law student, remember? I've missed quite a few classes lately. I have to go back and at least attempt to restore my cover. Keep me in reserve for Wildcat, but I have to sit this one out."

That tight look returned to Father's face, but it was clear he understood her reasoning. "Very well. Get back to class, but you will drop everything if you're needed. Got it?"

"Got it."

…

The flight back was uneventful. The same could be said about the drive to the dorm, though Maid wasn't with her. She elected to stay back at headquarters to keep up her research, which left Videl the sole occupant of their joint room. That was just fine to the dark-haired woman, as she needed some peace and quiet.

Activating her laptop, Videl waited for it to fully come to life before accessing a search engine and typing in the website for her campus. She needed to check her school email to make sure she wasn't missing some major announcement, like a bomb threat canceling class or the latest victim of an on-campus assault. It seemed like she got an email for that second one once a week, sadly enough.

The moment she had her email account open, she noticed quite a few unread emails. With a sigh, Videl began reading through them, glancing a second on school updates and upcoming events. Considering the time she had been gone, there didn't seem to be much she had missed, luckily enough. Still, she was going to have to pour through her textbooks to make sure she was up-to-date on the readings.

Even more fortunate, she didn't see an email from one of her classmates telling her she had been called upon in class. The professors were notorious for their disdain in concern with absents. It was even school policy that if a student had more than three unexcused absences, they were kicked right out of law school. Fortunately, Videl had a way to hide her frequent absences, via Maid. However, if any of the professors had called on her to discuss that day's topic, there was very little that could be done to fix that obvious absence. Thanks to her befriending a couple of her fellow students, they usually sent her an email if she was supposed to speak or had been called to speak. It helped to keep her in the loop.

Finishing reading her unread mail, Videl closed her account and opened up her class syllabi. She went through all of them to make sure she had an idea of what she needed to look up and cringed when she found she had additional readings not in the textbook. That meant she needed to go down to the law library to look up the readings, something she was not looking forward to. At least she could print them up and bring them right back.

Standing up, Videl felt like this was just going to be one of those days that didn't want to cooperate with her. All she had wanted was to sit around and get caught back up; was it so much to ask? Reaching to a small dish at the side of her desk, the dark-haired woman grabbed a couple of hair bands, wrapping them around her wrist. Parting her hair into two sides, she held a fistful of hair and pulled on a hairband, doing the same with the opposite side. She rarely, if ever, went out with her hair down, usually keeping it in a ponytail, but today she was into the twin-tails look.

Feeling ready, she grabbed her keys and left the dorm room. Considering the law library was a ten minute walk, she'd just make a quick trip there and back and have all the materials she needed. At least it was a pretty day outside so she could enjoy her stroll.

The law library wasn't a large building. It was a couple stories with a basement below for private study rooms. It was practically a dungeon down there from the multiple times she had been in one of those rooms, so Videl made it a point to not ever need to use them. Fortunately, all she needed was one of the computers and she'd be out of there quickly.

Pushing open the doors, Videl felt the cold blast of the building's A/C hit her as she stepped through the entrance. She vaguely wondered if she should have brought a jacket, but tossed the thought aside. Scanning the room, she ignored the bookcases that lined the room's walls and the ones that were situated right in the middle of it, creating a maze of wooden shelves and hundred year old texts. Instead, she looked to the desks off to her right, finding several empty computer stations.

Videl vaguely took note of some of the occupied stations, recognizing a couple of her classmates from the previous and current years. There were a few that were unknown to her, like the guy with spiky hair and a girl with short hair that was looking between her computer monitor and a rather thick-looking book. Ignoring them, Videl made her way to one of the computer stations, looking for one that was relatively remote from the others. She found one that was a little aways from a kid with glasses and pocket protector and made to sit at it.

It was then that she paused in her walk. Frowning, she glanced to the over to the guy with spiky hair and froze. Her heart practically dropped in her chest as she got a clear look at him and the flash of a suspect drawing popped in her head.

_No. Freaking. Way._

She knew him, had seen him even though it had been at a distance. That hair, those boyish looks, and frame; that was freaking Paul Kay. What the hell was he doing here? How had he even gotten in? This place was for law students only and no one else. Yet here he was at one of the computers, staring at the screen in intense concentration.

Videl changed her route and went to stand between the book shelves. Heart pounding in her chest, she crouched down to the floor, making it look as if she were just looking at one of the books on the bottom shelf. She still made sure to keep the guy in sight as she peaked around the bookcase's edge.

The dark-haired woman couldn't think of a single reason as to why Kay would be here. If he was after Frieza's assassins, then he was clearly in the wrong place. The only people in that line of work here were her and Maid. That thought caused a sickening feeling to well up in her. Was he here for her? Had she and her fellow co-workers misjudged Kay's true mission? This… this did not bode well.

Videl swallowed then. _Okay, stop right there, Videl. Just because Kay is here doesn't mean he's after you._ Which was true. He could be here for who knows what reason. First, she had to determine what he was doing here, and that involved getting a look at what he was working on.

Steeling her nerves, she stood back up, smoothed down her shirt and began to walk towards Kay. She only paused for a moment to make another adjustment to her shirt; she already had the top button undone, so she undid another. It didn't hurt to exploit a man's natural urges. Ready, she walked over to Kay, making sure to go behind him and get a look at his computer screen.

The first thing she saw was a document of some sort in PDF format. That at least relieved her of her initial fear. If Kay was looking for her, he would have had a student directory or school records up. Though she wasn't out of the woods just yet, since she had no idea what document he was looking at, at least she saw she wasn't being targeted. Then again, maybe that PDF file was just a cover he brought up whenever someone walked too close by him.

Moving closer, Videl sat at the computer station next to Paul Kay and booted up the computer, typing in her login name and password. While the computer was logging her in, Videl glanced back to the young man, seeing he hadn't even bothered looking up at her. He really was engrossed with whatever he was working on.

Letting the desktop appear on her screen, Videl opened up a couple of random programs, not bothering to see what they were. She had come to use the computers after all; it would look strange if she didn't have something up while she was here. Another look at Kay caused her curiosity to burn even more.

Before she knew it, she was speaking to him. "Hey, psst!"

Kay jolted his seat, his head perking up as he looked from side to side. He seemed startled by her oh-so-clever greeting. It took him a moment to finally look at her, appearing confused at her presence.

"Are you working on Professor Yellow's assignment?" she asked him quietly, doing her best to adhere to the quietness of the library.

Kay immediately shook his head and replied just as softly, "Sorry, I'm working on something else."

Videl widened her eyes in an attempt to look surprised. "What the heck else could you possibly be working on?"

"A different assignment," he shrugged her off before returning his attention to his computer. "Sorry, I can't help you."

Well, that was rude. She'd been brushed off before-heck, she had ignored plenty of other people to make them leave her alone-but for some reason she didn't like this guy doing it to her. Besides, she wanted to find out what was so important to him. So she moved her chair closer to his as she pressed, "Why don't we help each other out?"

Again, he looked at her startled. "Umm, I'm not sure that's a good idea," he replied uneasily.

Because of her chair-scootching, a strand of her dark hair fell in front of her face. Raising a hand up, Videl moved it out of her face and tucked it behind an ear. "Why not?" she asked, frowning at him.

"B-because…" he trailed off, clearly trying to think of a reason. Apparently his brain was failing him at the moment as he continued with a weak, "Well…"

Rolling her eyes, Videl forced her way into Kay's personal space, looking right at his computer screen. "Just tell me what you're doing so I can help you."

"O… okay. Umm, I'm just reading this document. I heard from one of the… uhh… professors that he saw something odd with it and I wanted to see what it was."

_That's it_? Videl blinked her eyes owlishly at that. That sounded pretty mundane considering what she originally thought of this guy. Before she knew it, she was voicing her very thoughts to him. "That's it? You're looking at this paper instead of studying?" It was about then that her brain caught up with what she was saying and she briefly wondered why she had said such a thing. It occurred to her then that this guy had snuck into a library reserved specifically for students. He had to have been pretending to be one just to get in. Hmm, it seemed her misspoken words were aiding her in her investigation. "How the hell did you get enough free time to do that?"

Kay shot his hands up, attempting to pacify her. "I told you it wasn't a good idea for you to help. I'm sorry if I misled you or anything like that."

"Whatever." As she rolled her eyes again, Videl could feel she had picked up some sort of advantage on the guy. He finally was speaking openly, rather than trying to mind every word he said. Deciding she was onto something with this student angle, she continued, "I don't think I've seen you around before. What's your name?"

"Gohan," he answered. "What's yours?"

_Gohan? Not Paul Kay? Interesting…_

Raising a hand up, she responded, "I'm Videl. It's nice to meet you."

He accepted her hand, giving it a shake along with a small smile. "It's nice to meet you too."

Once they released their grips, Videl looked to his computer monitor once more. It was time to get things back on topic. "You know, it would be easier if you just printed it out."

Gohan followed her subject change. "Umm, you do realize that it's 150 pages, right?"

"And your point? It's much easier to read the whole thing if we split it up instead of the both of us just staring at the same computer screen."

The young man stared at her in confusion. "B-but what about your own work?"

Her own work? Videl stared dumbly for a moment before she looked back to her own computer. Oh right, she had come here for a reason other than to investigate a guy who just so happened to be wanted by a federal agency and the ruling governing body. The dark-haired woman turned her head back to look at Gohan and waved off his point. "I can spare a day before I have to get back to it." She then indicated with her hand the young man's computer. "Besides, you've got me curious."

He hesitated at that. Apparently he was still trying to keep her out of his business. Too bad she was not the person you held secrets from. She had been a police officer once upon a time, and it had been her job to ferret out bad guys' secrets. So she knew just how to get people like him to do as she wanted. Narrowing her eyes, she said in a challenging tone, "Or do you not want my help?"

Whatever resistance he had fell apart as his shoulders slumped in defeat. "I-I'd appreciate it," he mumbled.

Videl gave him a smile. "Good, now print that thing out and we'll go somewhere else so we can concentrate better. Maybe your place? Mine's a bit crowded at the moment."

Okay, so her roommate was in a different city at the moment. At least she could pin this Gohan guy down so they could keep track of him. And here she wasn't even supposed to be working. Father was going to be owing her some overtime for this.

…

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	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is brought to you by ShadowMajin**

...

Well, this was most certainly boring. At least she was comfortable, though that wasn't saying much considering where she was. A cheap motel in a rather seedy area of town was not the kind of place Videl had wanted to go to, ever. And yet, here she was, laying on her side and looking over some legislative mumbo jumbo that she'd rather take a drill to her forehead then read. Alas, that was where she found herself, flipping over a page she had just finished skimming, and turning her bored blue eyes to the next.

Of course, this was all for her job. Looking up, she saw the ever elusive Gohan, known to the world as Paul Kay. He was the sole reason she was here after stumbling upon him at the law library. A quick conversation and she had convinced him to take her back to his place to work on some research of his. On the plus side, now she could report back to Father about her discovery and intelligence on the guy. The bad side was she was stuck in this room until someone had an eureka moment.

The things she did for a paycheck.

Currently, Gohan was absorbed in his portion of the Malone-Engvall Bill, brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of it. It was clearly above his level of comprehension, though admittedly it was just above hers as well. Thankfully her cover as a law student had actually given her an edge on reading this stuff.

However, she was careful to note how Gohan kept sneaking peeks at her. Videl couldn't tell if he was suspecting her of something or what, but it was getting downright annoying. If the guy was going to do something, he should just go on and do it already, save her from having to read this drivel.

You know what? Enough of this crap. If prompting was what this guy needed, then prompting he would get.

"You look frustrated," she commented, watching him carefully for his reaction.

Gohan didn't respond to her at first, but a second later he looked up at her blankly. Then he grinned and admitted, "I guess I am."

"How so?"

The young man looked down at the page he was on and answered, "Well, it seems like this entire thing is repeating itself over and over. And there are all these words I don't think I've ever seen before, and I've had to reread several pages just to make sure I actually understood what I was reading…" He sagged his shoulders at that point, looking positively exasperated. "And I still don't think I have the right interpretation."

Videl couldn't help but smile at that. He reminded her of a first year law student, completely overwhelmed by the material in front of him. "That's probably because you aren't getting the right interpretation," she told him. "But that's to be expected out of a first year. All of what you said is standard practice. Since most politicians are lawyers, they do repeat themselves and put new tidbits here and there. Most people get bored with reading the legal documents and end up giving up, which is the intent."

He looked up at her incredulously. "You mean they intentionally try to make people not read their stuff?"

"Yep, that way they can slip in all kinds of stuff to give themselves an advantage."

"No wonder they have a school just dedicated to figuring this stuff out."

"Don't forget they want to pass these tactics down to future generations too," she joked.

Her joke didn't fly over with him as he looked dejected. "So how far have you gotten?" the young man asked her warily. It seemed like he was just as fed up with this stuff as she was. Great!

Looking down to her own stack of papers, Videl answered, "I'm in the hundreds. Page one hundred and twentyyyyy…four."

Gohan's eyes bulged at that, causing the dark-haired woman to laugh. It was comic gold to her, completely and utterly. Oh, this guy was funny, even if he didn't mean to be. "Trust me, it gets easier once you know what you're doing," Videl tried to soothe his fragile ego around her laughs, but only just managed to do so.

Hey, it was hard keeping a straight face with such a comical-looking face staring at you.

"I'm only at forty six and I had a ten page head start!" he exclaimed, further adding to her amusement.

"Hello? Law student," Videl reminded him. Pushing herself off her side, she moved to hang her legs over the side of the bed, looking at the youth expectantly. "What have you read so far?"

It took a moment before Gohan answered her question. "Well, as far as I can tell it's just placing money in different government programs. I guess this is some sort of spending bill."

The dark-haired girl nodded her head. That was a big reason why she found this whole thing so boring. She had never liked Finance Law, the entire subject just one annoyingly long end-around. If it hadn't been for Maid, there was no way she would've gotten out of that class in one piece. "That's what I got too. So far I haven't seen anything out of place."

"Not even randomly capitalized words?"

Videl shrugged her shoulders at that. "Depends on what words they are. What are the words you think are wrong?"

Gohan glanced down at his current page before holding it out to her. "Towards the top of the page, the word 'securities' is capitalized."

The dark-haired woman took the page and glanced at it. Sure enough, she found the capitalized Securities right where he said it would be. She wasn't bothered by it as much as Gohan seemed to be, but she might as well continue playing her role as an aspiring law student. Frowning, she asked, "Has the bill done this before?"

"Yeah, a couple times," he replied.

"Then the word is a noun of some kind. A title or a name of something. There's a reason it's capitalized."

This time the young man frowned, a bit more genuinely than her own attempt. "What could Securities be, then?"

_Ugh, why me?_ Unwillingly, the guy was dragging Videl back through her finance class, and she couldn't kick or scream her way through it like last time. _Dick_. "Well, the only sort of securities I can think of concerning the government would be defense"-hey, she hadn't thought of that one now that she mentioned it. Please make this about defense-"and finances. Your portion could just be appropriating money to a defense project."

"And finances?"

"Securities can be stocks, bonds, or some sort of investment with scheduled payments," she listed off. "Honestly, there's not a lot it could be."

Gohan stared at her before turning his attention back to the page. He seemed focused on something for a moment before he suddenly got up off the bed and moved around it, taking a seat next to her. "Read this part here," he said, pointing to the section he was talking about.

Reluctantly, Videl looked at the passage. "_Further appropriations shall also be compensated for services rendered in the association of Securities et al in accordance of previously invested liabilities,"_ she mentally read. She paused for a moment. Something about that didn't' seem right.

"Doesn't that sound like they're giving out some sort of payment?"

Videl found herself agreeing with the dark-haired youth. "Yeah, it does, but I'm not sure what you're getting at."

When Gohan didn't answer, Videl looked at him. His dark eyes were glazed over as if he were lost in thought. The woman found herself wondering what was going on in that head of his. It was clear he was looking for something specific, or at least more specific than what he had revealed to her so far. She needed to know just what that was.

With a sigh, she noticed she interrupted his musings as he came back from having his head up in the clouds. "You know, this would be easier if I knew what you're looking for," she told him, watching for his reaction. "Can't you just tell me what's so special about this bill?"

It was immediate. Gohan suddenly put more space between them as he scooted down the bed uneasily. "Trust me, the less you know the better," he said.

Alright, enough was enough. Scowling at him, Videl responded, "What's that supposed to mean? You think I can't handle it?"

The youth backed down from her wrath, just as she expected he would. "I'm sure you're very capable-"

"But what?" she interrupted him. "You don't think I can cut it? I'll have you know I'm at the top of my class. And from what I can tell, you're just some first year student who's just trying to keep their head over water." Videl wanted to keep going, but she found herself losing steam. Perhaps she needed to change tactics to keep this tirade going. "You know, I don't have to help you, but I was nice enough to, and you have a crap way of showing gratitude."

Gohan winced from her words, and attempted to try and soothe her pricked ego. "Believe me, I'm very grateful for your help. It's just…this is very important to…umm, certain people. The type who wouldn't like it seeing the light of day."

Hmm, looked like she was onto something. Raising an eyebrow in disbelief she continued to prod him. "What, are these guys like The Mob or something? Nice excuse, but I'm not buying it."

"Trust me, they're dangerous people," he reassured her.

"Trust you?" Videl nearly snorted at that remark. "I just met you! How the heck can I trust someone I don't know anything about?"

Gohan gave her a helpless look. Oh yeah, she had him on the ropes now. Time to use some more of her ammunition against him...figuratively of course. "You're not really a student at the school, are you?"

The young man had the good sense to look guilty. "No, not really."

"Then what were you doing at the school? How did you even get into the law library? Only law students are even allowed in there!"

Gohan sighed. "I can't tell you. Like I said, the less you know about this, the better."

"How did you get in? Did you steal someone's school ID? Or did you make some fake paper work? You do realize identity theft is against the law, right?"

The young man raised his hand into the air, pressing them against his face as he poorly hid his growing frustration with her. "No, just listen to me," he pleaded.

"And why should I? You already lied to me about being a student at the school. Heck, I bet you even lied about your name."

"No, I didn't lie about that."

_Got__ch__a!_ Smirking at him, Videl said, "So you did lie. By saying you didn't lie about your name implies you did lie about something else. So how much of your story is pure crap? Your claim that this is Mob involved or whatever already disproves that a teacher gave you this assignment, and it's very possible you're also making up the Mob cover-up too."

That proved to be all Gohan take as he exploded. "Alright! Alright, I'll tell you. Geez."

So this was what all her law professors meant when they said the best feeling ever was catching a witness lying on the witness stand. Or at least messing them up so much that they played right into your hands. Videl could identify with that feeling now, because she was feeling pretty damn good about herself now.

But then a thought hit her. Since she had been hammering him with accusations of lying, how did she know he'd really be telling her the truth? _Aw, crap_.

It was as if Videl had stumbled into a double-edged sword. She had used it to perfection to break down Gohan until he gave into her demands, but that very sword presented the troubling aspect that he could continue lying to her.

This did not bode well.

"Is this going to be the truth this time?" she questioned-nay, demanded! After all this work, she would not settle for less! "I won't stand for anything less."

See? It bore repeating.

However, instead of answering her, Gohan resignedly asked, "Do you know who Senator Ox-King is?"

The senator in questioned popped up into the dark-haired woman's head, specifically the moment half of his head exploded with blood. Yeah, she knew the guy...and now that she thought about it, so did Gohan. He had been there when that happened, after all. "How could I not?" she responded without thinking. It was half a heartbeat that she realized just what she said and quickly added, "His death has been plastered onto every newspaper and channel for the last week."

Gohan didn't seem to catch onto her mistake, however, as he once more gazed into nothing before wincing. Apparently, she hadn't been the only one recalling the shooting. "Well, I was doing an interview with him before he died. He's the one that told me there was something fishy with this bill."

Was this what he had been talking about with Ox-King before she fired? Oh my, the implications of his words were just too juicy to ignore. Widening her eyes, she asked, "You were there when he died?"

And Gohan went into full retreat. "No, I mean I saw him before he was killed, the day before to be exact. When I first heard he had been killed, that part of the conversation immediately popped into my head."

_Liar_. So he wanted to keep playing games with her. Alright, she'd play. "So you thought his assassination might have something to do with Malone-Engvall?"

"Yeah. The last few days have been a bit hectic for me, so today was the first time I've had to actually look at the bill."

_Hectic? Tell me something I don't know._ Narrowing her eyes, she pressed, "How do I know this is the truth? You're not lying to me again, are you?"

What happened next completely caught her off guard; she'd willingly admit it. So far Gohan had been cowering before her as she attacked him and his flimsy story. This time, however, the dark-haired young man shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care what she thought about him. "You know, the door's right over there." He pointed at the door for emphasis. "You can leave at any time. It's not like I'll stop you. If you don't believe me now, you're not going to believe me later."

Videl looked to the door and back at the youth. For once, she had no idea how to act. She had been in full control of this conversation up until now, and out of the blue, this guy just turned the table on her. If she kept up with the direction things were going, she'd have to leave and promptly end their contact with each other. She didn't need Father's voice in her head telling her that was not the choice to make.

So, genuinely cowed, she replied, "No, no I don't think I will. Something tells me you're not kidding about this."

"Why would anyone kid about something this serious?" he questioned her, his face completely unreadable to her.

Videl wanted to make a quick response, but she couldn't. She didn't have a single thing she could say to challenge that. Damn, was this how he felt when she'd gone after him? What an awful feeling! The dark-haired woman could feel the heat rise in her face as she murmured, "I... I guess so. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted, I guess."

An uncomfortable silence fell on the two. While she had no idea what was going on in the dark-haired man's head, Videl didn't trust herself to move the conversation any further. It was a foreign feeling for her, something she didn't like in the least. A quick glance to Gohan told her he had no inclination to move any further either, which just left them in this awkward stalemate that was beginning to drive her nuts.

So, she tried a less controversial subject for them to discuss. "So you think this Securities thing might be the part the senator was talking about?"

Fortunately, Gohan accepted her metaphorical olive branch. "It's the only thing that stands out to me, though I'm not too sure what it's referring to."

"Well, if it has something to do financially, then our best move would be to visit banks in the city."

"How many banks are there?"

So far, so good. Still, Videl felt she wasn't out of the woods just yet. It seemed like any offhand remark she could make could have her thrown out the door. Nervously, she took in a breath before she suddenly blew it out of her mouth. "A lot. More than we'd want to actually visit," she answered frankly.

The look Gohan gave her told her that he did not like that answer. "Maybe," she quickly spoke up, "maybe they're referring to a specific bank." _Yeah, keep that up, Videl. Do not let him toss you out. Now...uhh, how do you find out what bank he wants?_

Damn, she was beginning to overthink things. Videl needed to get back to the basics and return to the cool-headedness of Agent Devil, before this new, shy Videl screwed things up for her. "Do you have a computer in here?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he answered. Standing up, he walked over to a dresser where he retrieved a laptop. Returning it to the bed, he opened and activated it, waiting as it warmed up. The moment it was ready for use, Videl reached over and plucked it out of the young man's lap, placing it on her own. It'd be easier if she did all the work, or so she told herself.

Finding the web browser, she opened it and typed "bank securities" into the search bar. A list of names scrolled down from the bar, giving her options as to where to take this search. Looking through them, Videl didn't find what she was looking for and added Orange Star City into the search bar. The moment the search menu presented her with some viable candidates, she announced, "There's two banks in the city with securities in their names: Saving & Loans Securities and First Credit Securities."

"You think they might be the places the bill was talking about?" Gohan asked as he read the search list over her shoulder.

"It's a possibility, but I wouldn't rest all my hopes on them. If you wanted to keep something secret, you wouldn't make it obvious when you're writing about it. Hell, you shouldn't ever put something you want to keep hidden in writing. And considering these are politicians, they'd be complete morons to put it in a bill."

_Ain't that the truth_.

"It's still worth looking into, though," Gohan pressed, a determined glint in his eye.

"Yeah, it is," Videl agreed with him. "The Savings and Loans Securities isn't too far from campus, so I could meet you there sometime in the morning."

That startled the young man, which in turned surprised Videl. Had she managed to catch him off guard again? "You're going to the bank with me?" he asked her bewilderedly.

"That isn't a problem, is it?" she responded back.

"No, not at all. It's just…don't you have that assignment from your school to do? I don't want to keep you away from your studies with this."

Oh, she had forgotten about that. Meh, it wasn't like it was all that important anymore, in her opinion at least. Chuckling at that line of thought, she replied, "Oh right, I had completely forgotten about that."

For once, Videl wanted to curse her cover. Here she was with a high-profile target, and she was forced to leave him. Yet, she couldn't afford to raise suspicion with him, not after what had happened earlier. If she gave him anymore cause for concern, she didn't doubt that he'd up and vanish on her. She needed to start playing this game again.

Removing the laptop from her lap, placing it on the bed next to her, Videl looked Gohan in the eye and said, "I best be getting back to my dorm. It was…nice meeting you."

Gohan gave her a smile. "It was nice meeting you too. Thank you for helping out."

The look he gave her made her return the smile. It was hard not to. "It wasn't any trouble."

Another silence fell on them, this one much more comfortable than the last. For that, she was grateful. In the end, it was Gohan who broke this silence. "Good luck on that project of yours."

"Oh, thanks. Let me know if you need anymore help with this thing you're doing."

Then, as if they were following some agreement, they both stood up and walked to the door. Like a gentleman, Gohan opened the door for her, letting her exit first before he followed her. Considering that he had driven them here, he was gonna have to take her back to campus.

Yet, for some reason she didn't want to leave.

...

Videl closed the door to her dorm. Gohan was on his way back to his motel room and she was safely in the confines of her own room. She could do what she needed to do.

Phone in hand, Videl went through her contacts list and hit call on one of the numbers. Placing the phone against her ear, she patiently waited until she heard someone answer. "Maid."

"I found him."

There was a brief moment of silence before the blonde answered, "Found who?"

"Paul Kay. I found him. You'd never guess where."

"You have to be kidding me. Where was he?"

"In the law library. I just ran into the guy there."

"Get out! You're joking. I swear to Kami, you're joking."

"Do I sound like I am?"

Maid was silent for a moment before she said, "What was he doing?"

"Research on some legislative bill," Videl replied.

"Now I wonder why he was doing that."

Videl jerked her head back. Those last words had belonged to Father. What the hell was he doing on the line? "He was really focused on it," she managed to recover after a moment.

"So you say. What else can you tell me?" Father demanded.

"That he's currently living out of a cheap motel in Orange Star. I had the guy bring me over earlier; he just brought me back a few minutes ago."

She could practically hear the dark-haired man's approval. "Very good, Devil. So what's his next step?"

Videl took a seat on the couch, leaning back into it as she got comfortable. "He's planning to go visit a couple banks. Seems to think they're involved in some sort of conspiracy."

"I wonder where he got that idea."

The dark-haired girl was about to say, "From Ox-King," when she stopped. She hadn't revealed to anyone that she had seen Gohan at that office, and she felt that Father would have some very pointed words with her for not mentioning it. Perhaps this was one of those times where she needed to keep her big mouth shut.

So, instead she said, "No clue. Every time I tried to get him to reveal stuff, he'd shut down."

There was a silence on the phone before Father finally responded, "Alright, Wildcat is on route and should be in sometime later tomorrow. Tell Maid the address of that motel of his."

"You got it," Videl replied.

"And keep an eye on Kay, you hear me? I want to know everything he does, from what he eats to where he shits, got it?"

Videl raised an eyebrow at that. "You want me to tail him?"

The dark-haired man laughed loudly. "Oh, heaven's no. You're in a prime position, Devil. I want you next to this guy like you want to fuck him."

Uh, no. The dark-haired woman plainly remembered the last time she was expected to do an undercover assignment like this. It hadn't gone well in Father's opinion, though she had gotten the job done. "In case I have to remind you," she began.

Father immediately cut her off. "Devil, you _will_ stay with this guy. You _will_ help him investigate these banks of his. And if you have to, you _will_ share a bed with him to make sure he wants to keep you around. Are we clear?"

Videl wanted to say anything except what she did say. "We're clear."

"Good. Now get to work, Agent."

The phone line went dead a moment later, the dark-haired woman lowering the phone from her ear so she could gaze at it blankly.

It looked like she was gonna have to dress up tomorrow.

…

**For those who are interested, we are a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stories such as this one. We're an open group, meaning that anyone can apply to join. Feel free to check out our forums, our Facebook page, and perhaps apply to join the group via the link on our profile. It's a great opportunity for those who would like to better their own writing abilities and exchange skills of the trade with fellow authors, or to simply be more a part of a writing community.**


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter is brought to you by ShadowMajin**

...

Videl put her car into park, turning the engine off shortly after. She sat there for a moment, doing a deep-breathing exercise her anger management counselor once recommended for her to do. She hadn't really used it much, but right now felt as good of a time as any.

She was professionally dressed on this not-so-lovely morning. Not that you could tell since it was bright and chipper outside, with little birds flying around, singing their favorite tunes. Under any other circumstance, the dark-haired woman would not be here, but her boss had final say-so.

Pulling down the visor in front of her, she opened the little mirror on the backside, looking her face and hair over to make sure it all looked right. Her hair was tied up into a bun, though there had been a strand that was adamant in not wanting to be restrained. It was currently being held back by her ear, but any sudden movement would cause it to spring free and hang in front of her face.

Seeing nothing wrong, she flipped the visor back and glanced out of her car window. She could see where Gohan's room was, and she really wasn't looking forward to going up to it. She had tried the undercover stuff before and that had been a disaster in the making. What possible reason did Father have with giving her another such mission? He must've thought that if he put the dark-haired woman in the same position over and over, she'd learn to do it right.

Taking in another breath, she sighed it out before opening the car door. Not much sense in delaying the inevitable any further. Swinging her pantyhose-covered legs out, she placed her high-heeled shoes on the pavement and stood up. Her hands pulled her skirt down, straightening it out before she turned around and reached to her cup holder. There she grabbed two cups of coffee: one she'd been nursing on the way here, the other for her target. Unlike hers, Gohan's was black. It was too early in the morning for her to attempt guessing how he preferred his made.

Standing straight again with the cups in her hand, she placed one cup on the roof of her car before she hit the lock button on the car door, locking the car. Grabbing the cup again, Videl used her hip to close the door, then began the walk up to the motel room.

"_Good morning, Gohan! Lovely day, isn't it?"_ she mentally said in her head. _No, too lame. "Hey there, long time, no see." Ugh, even lamer. "Hey, I was thinking about last night, and I thought I'd help out with your bank thing." Better, but perhaps a bit too honest. "Hello, I'm here to follow you around all day because my boss demanded I do so. My co-workers and I have no idea what you're up to, so I was sent out to spy on you to find out." Way too honest…_

Before she knew it, Videl was standing in front of Gohan's door. All that practicing in her head hadn't really given her much to work with, unfortunately, so she was still debating with how to convince Gohan into letting her tag along. He was a nice enough guy, but with the way he practically tried shoving her out of his room when she began asking too many questions, she doubted he'd want her around.

Still, she had a job to do, and she might as well get it over with. Worst case scenario, she'd just have to tail Gohan all over town to make sure she knew what he was up to. She could then call him up later tonight or the next morning to see what he'd found out. Actually, that sounded like a better idea than forcing her way in.

Straightening out her posture, Videl was about to knock on the door when she realized she had a new problem. With a coffee cup in each hand, she was a bit full-handed at the moment. So how was this going to work out?

As it turned out, she didn't need to worry about it. Almost as if it were fate, the door swung open and Gohan appeared. He stopped once he noticed her, staring dumbly at her. Videl got the feeling she was looking the same way as he was.

Shaking off her surprise, Videl put a smile on her face and greeted him. "Good morning!" _Okay, good start. Now what?_ Glancing at Gohan, her eyes then began wandering down, taking note of the grey suit he wore. It wasn't a fancy one, to be honest, but it was a decent choice considering where he was going today. "Good choice in clothes," she complimented. "We need to show the bank people we mean business."

Videl waited for Gohan to respond, but it seemed his daze was worse than she had thought. He just kept looking at her, which served to make her feel awkward. That was when she began to ramble. "Personally, I think a black would've been a better choice, but the grey works too. However, I don't think we have time for you to change now, especially if we want to go to both banks today—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Gohan stopped, finally deciding to join the conversation. "What are you doing here? I thought you had school work to do."

Oh yeah, as if school work was going to stop her. Rolling her eyes, Videl easily lied, "I have a friend who's doing the same assignment. We decided to divide it into halves between each other. I managed to get some done after you dropped me off last night, so right now it's up to her to get her part done." _There, that should do it._

"Oh…" the young man replied, sounding slightly dubious. "...okay."

And this conversation was going nowhere. Looked like Videl needed to take control of things, though perhaps not as enthusiastically as last night. "Now come on! We have a busy day ahead of us." She spun around then and began walking off, looking for where Gohan's car was parked. Perhaps if she acted as if he had already agreed to letting her join him, he'd just go with it.

Initially, she only heard the sound of her own shoes clicking and clacking on the sidewalk. At first she thought that Gohan was preparing to dig in and shoo her off, but that changed when she heard the door to his motel room close and footsteps quickly following after her.

With a grin on her face, Videl did a mental fistpump. Looked like she had played this round right.

Reaching the car, she then realized she had yet to hand over the coffee she'd gotten for him. Turning around, she found the dark-haired man just behind her. Holding up his cup, Videl offered it to him. "Here, I got us some coffee. Figured we'd need something to wake us up."

Gohan graciously accepted the offered coffee. "Thank you," he said softly as he raised the cup to his lips. He scrunched his face as he took a sip.

Damn, looked like he wasn't a black coffee drinker. "Sorry. I wasn't aware of how you drank your coffee, so I just got it black," she apologized, doing her best to look meek. It wasn't all that hard to do since she did feel that way.

"That's alright," Gohan responded as he accepted the apology. "I do like cream in mine."

Videl nodded her head as she grinned. "For next time. Gotcha."

The young man then took another sip, turning his head away as he began to make his way around the car. She guessed he was trying to hide his face about the coffee, trying to spare her feelings. Facing the passenger side door, the dark-haired woman opened it, taking a seat inside as the young man slid into the driver's seat.

Once the car doors were slammed shut and Gohan had started the engine, Videl asked, "So where to?"

…

Savings and Loans Securities was not a bank Videl had visited before. Oh, she had seen it on the occasions she drove by it, but never had she felt the inclination to enter it. She did all her banking elsewhere and had no need for its services.

Gohan had parked his car a little bit ago and had climbed out. He was currently standing in front of the weather-beaten steps, marveling at the building. Videl, however, needed to make sure she was still presentable, that her clothes were pristine, hair still in its tight bun, and that the light layer of makeup she had on wasn't smudged. It was bothersome for a lady to make herself presentable, but it was necessary.

Feeling ready, Videl opened the car door and climbed out, slamming it shut behind her. Running her hands down her sides and legs, she smoothed out any wrinkles her blouse and skirt may have collected during the ride here. The suit jacket would hide anything else.

Walking up to the young man, she came to a stop next to him and asked, "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's do this," he answered determined, extending a leg out as he began to climb the steps.

Eager, wasn't he? With the corner of her mouth twitching, the dark-haired woman reached out and grabbed onto the young man's arm, stopping him. Taking advantage of his hesitance, Videl stepped up next to him, wrapping one of her arms with his. "You know, it's considered courteous if a man helps a lady up stairs," she told him.

Gohan looked at her for a moment before he began climbing the stairs again, Videl at his arm. Apparently he wasn't up for arguing with her today. After last night, she had half-expected to be kicked to the curb, yet not only did he let her tag along, but he was accepting her tokens of advice without complaint. Perhaps he'd already given into the fact that she was involving herself whether he liked it or not. It'd make things so much easier now.

Reaching the top of the stairs, the sight of the bank's attempt at modernizing itself greeted them. Between two old-style columns was a glass door that looked out of place with the face of the building. It wasn't something someone would notice from the street, but standing in front of it really made it noticeable. Going to the door, Gohan reached out and opened the door, allowing Videl to walk in first and the young man second.

Immediately, Videl scanned the lobby, taking it the large tiled flooring, the staircase at the far end of the room, the dark wood of the long desk the bank tellers worked behind to the right, and the make-shift cubicles the bank managers used to section themselves from their brethren to the left. She could see the desks and chairs in each cordoned area, some with customers seated.

The sounds of the dark-haired couple's shoes echoed throughout the room, but so did the footsteps of all the people in the bank. As they moved by the wooden kiosks filled with withdrawal and deposit slips, Videl leaned into her companion and whispered, "So now what do we do?"

Gohan copied her action and replied softly, "We look for the bank manager. He or she will have the information we need."

Videl nodded her head. That made sense. "So where is the bank manager?"

"I guess we could always ask, or we could just go up to the second floor. Someone will help us eventually."

That caused the dark-haired woman to falter in her steps. Didn't he know? Surely this guy had to know what he was doing; why else would he come to a bank with questions blindly? People in their profession did their research before going out into the field. Mistakes happened when you didn't know what you were doing or where you were going. Yet, those words nagged at her, which irritated the woman.

Before she could stop herself, she said, "You didn't really think this through, did you?"

Gohan winced at her words. "I kinda make things up as I go," he admitted.

No. Freaking. Way. This was the guy responsible for taking out not one, but potentially three assassins? That...that...Videl couldn't wrap her mind around it. No one could be so successful flying by the seat of their pants. Even Wildcat, as unpredictable as she could be, at least planned out the beginning of her missions.

Yet here she was, on the arm of a guy that plainly said he had no plan. And that further annoyed her. "Fine," she grunted, "let's just go up the stairs. Maybe we'll get lucky or something."

Yeah, lucky. She rolled her eyes at that thought. This trip was turning out to be a complete waste of time.

The two of them made their way to the staircase. Considering that Videl had already climbed one set of stairs and crossed the large lobby of the bank wearing an increasingly uncomfortable pair of high-heeled shoes, her feet were beginning to protest as she started ascending another staircase. Her toes were most annoyed with her after being crunched up in the shoes' narrow toe. "I am so getting my exercise for the day," she muttered under her breath. The next time Father sent her out on an assignment like this, she was going to make sure he knew what it was like walking in these shoes and up a lot of freaking steps.

Once they reached the top, the dark-haired couple soon found their way into a small reception area. There was a desk off to the side with a bank employee working on a stack of papers. On the opposite side of the room were some chairs, obviously for anyone waiting to see one of the bank's managers or supervisors-whoever it was that had their office up here.

The bank employee-a young woman-looked up at them when they appeared in the waiting area. "May I help you?" she asked them curiously.

Gohan immediately responded, his face seeming to bright up at the question. "Ah, yes, we're here to see the bank manager, if he's available."

The woman seemed puzzled by Gohan's words before, to Videl's astonishment, her eyes lit up in recognition. "Ohh! You're here for the interview. The school newspaper, right?"

The dark-haired man nodded his head with a grin on his face. "Yep, that would be us. I hope we're not late."

"Oh no, you're just on time," she said as she began standing up. A moment later the employee walked to a set of nearby doors. "I'll let him know you're here. Please, have a seat."

The entire time, Videl watched the exchange with her mouth hanging wide. Unbelievable. Just freaking unbelievable! It was as if the two of them had choreographed the entire conversation and hadn't bothered telling the dark-haired woman about it. Turning her attention to Gohan, she exclaimed, "You've got to be kidding me. How did you know about the newspaper thing?"

Her mind was rapidly searching for an answer. Gohan had to have called ahead of time and come up with this school newspaper thing and made an appointment. He had only been playing with her in the lobby. Yeah, that had to be it.

That thought was instantly shattered the moment Gohan shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I didn't. I just ran with it."

"But what about the real students?" she pressed. "Aren't they supposed to be showing up anytime soon?"

That made the young man pause. "I…really hadn't thought about that."

Those words shattered whatever desperate belief Videl had in this guy, at least when it came to preparedness. He really was winging this. That fact repulsed her on so many levels, yet she couldn't argue with the results. They were right where they wanted to be, about to take to a bank manager to get the intelligence Gohan was after. It was an incredible stroke of luck that everything fell into place like.

Yeah, luck! That had to be it! They had just gotten lucky-_he_ had just gotten lucky. _Okay, Videl, calm down. You can instill proper planning to this guy later._

It was then the phone on the desk began to ring. Videl turned her head to stare at the phone before drawing closer to it, her arms pulling out from Gohan's. The moment she walked around the desk and looked at the caller ID, she felt her stomach drop. "Caller ID says it's the Orange Star High School," she read aloud.

This was some serious luck Gohan had struck.

For a moment, Videl was going to let it go unanswered. Yet, something in her caused her to pick up the phone and answer it. "Savings and Loans Securities, how may I help you?"

So now she was acting as a receptionist. Go her...ugh.

"_Hello, this is Ms Boggans from Orange Star High School,_" a woman's voice answered.

"What can I do for you?"

"_Sorry for calling on such short notice, but the students from the school newspaper won't be able to make their appointment with Mr. Teller-_"

"Uh huh."

"_You see, there's been this bug running through the school lately-_"

"Okay."

"_And it looks like both of the students caught it._"

"Oh, that's too bad. Well if you would like to reschedule-"

"_You wouldn't mind doing that? Thank you. Is there something available later in the week?_"

Videl said, pausing long enough to make it sound as if she were checking "Mr. Teller's" schedule. "Okay, I don't see any openings for the rest of the week."

"_Oh. Would calling next week be better?_"

"Yes, please call back next week and we can set up another appointment. Have a nice day."

And with that, Videl hung up the phone. As unexpected as that was, she had to admit that worked out fairly well.

"Was that their students?" Gohan asked, breaking her out of her mood.

"Yeah and they wanted to reschedule." Calming her tingling nerves, Videl walked back around the desk and stood next to the young man. "I guess this 'making it up as you go' thing can work."

As if to drive that point home, the nearby door open and the bank employee poked her head through the doorway. "He'll see you now," she told them.

Videl caught movement out of her eye, causing her to look to Gohan as he lifted up his arm, holding it bent at the elbow towards her. "Shall we?" he offered.

For some reason, she smiled at the offered arm, wrapping her own around it. "We shall."

…

**For those who are interested, we are a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stories such as this one. We're an open group, meaning that anyone can apply to join. Feel free to check out our forums, our Facebook page, and perhaps apply to join the group, via the link on our profile. It's a great opportunity for those who would like to better their own writing abilities and exchange skills of the trade with fellow authors, or to simply be more a part of a writing community.**


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter is brought to you by Shadowmajin**

**...**

With the slamming of the car door, Videl made herself comfortable in the passenger seat, slipping on her seatbelt once she was ready. "Well that was a whole lot of nothing," she said as her hands began smoothing out her skirt.

As successful as they had been in getting a meeting with the bank president, any forthcoming information they sought had proven to be more elusive. The bank president hadn't indicated anything about their discovery in the Malone-Engvall bill. As far as Videl was concerned, it was a waste of a morning.

"At least it eliminates them," Gohan replied as he inserted the car key into the ignition switch and twisted, the engine roaring to life. Looking into his mirrors and then all around to make sure they were clear, he then shifted the car into drive and pulled out onto the street. "So what's the other bank?" he asked once they were on their way.

Pulling out a notepad, Videl looked at her notes. "First Credit Securities," she read out loud. Looking up, she then added, "That's a few miles away, past all of those hotels downtown."

The young man nodded as he kept his eyes on the road. Seeing as he wasn't going to say anything, Videl returned her attention to her notepad. Already she was mentally scratching off all the useless information on it, occasionally putting aside some that she'd look at later.

"Would you like to grab some lunch before we go to the other bank, or would you like to wait until after?" Gohan suddenly asked

At the mention of food, Videl suddenly felt how empty her stomach was. Lunch was sounding pretty good at the moment. Giving the young man a smile, she replied, "Lunch sounds great. I'm famished!"

That was when a low rumbling rang out, filling the car with its gargling. Videl burst out laughing, unable to help herself as Gohan's face turned bright red. "I think my stomach agrees with you," he said in embarrassment.

"Oh, it most certainly does," she continued to laugh, trying to tone it down for the dark-haired youth's sake. She could practically feel the heat wafting from his face. "The timing for that was just perfect."

A grin appeared on Gohan's face at that comment. "Let's see if we can't find a place to fill it up," he said. The car began to slow down as they reached a traffic light. A clicking sound was made as Gohan turned out the turn signal, soon turning the car to the right. Videl chose to look out her window at that moment as a pleasant silence fell upon them. Her blue eyes flickered from parked cars to the fronts of the buildings, to the people walking on the sidewalks. It seemed like a nice day and a part of her wished she could be out doing something other than visiting banks. If only it was overcast and gloomy-looking, the dark-haired woman would have been more accepting of this boring job. At the least Gohan was alright company, so it made it somewhat more bear—

Suddenly, the car jerked towards the right as a loud popping sound was made, Videl grabbing onto the door handle. Turning her head, she saw Gohan gripping the steering wheel as he fought to get the vehicle back under his control. "Oh great, a flat," he grumbled as the car began to shake from the deflated tire. Head perked up, he searched the row of parked cars next to them for an empty spot.

As luck would have it, there was an empty place not too far away. Pulling in, Gohan shifted the gear shift into park. Turning the engine off, the dark-haired man gave an apologetic smile to Videl and mumbled sheepishly, "Sorry about this... shouldn't take too long."

Videl shrugged at that. She understood he was saying that out of politeness, but as far as she was concerned, there was no reason to apologize. She'd just have to stay hungry a little bit longer was all. "Not your fault. Things happen."

Gohan nodded his head gratefully. "Right." Undoing his seatbelt, he then opened his car door and began to climb out. As Videl looked away, she heard a loud _thunk!_ Startled, the dark-haired woman looked all over for the source of the sound. It was then that she noticed Gohan lying on the ground.

"Gohan? You okay?" she called out to him. He must've fallen out of the car when he was getting out; how clumsy of him. Leaning towards the open door, she tried to get a better look at him to determine if he was alright or not.

That was when Gohan suddenly shot his upper body up, his head whipping around to look at her in fright. "Videl, get down!" he shouted, causing her to jerk back in surprise. However, the urgency on his face and in his voice caused a little red flag to shoot up in her head. Heeding the command, Videl quickly leaned down, a fraction of a second before the glass of the passenger window shattered and sprayed her with pieces of glass.

_Fuck me!_ Videl shouted in her head, one of her hands ripping her seat belt off of her. She was oblivious to everything around her other than the fact that someone had shot at her. It couldn't have been anything else; why would Gohan had warned her like he did if it hadn't been for a shooter? Keeping low, the dark-haired woman dragged herself over the center console and onto the driver's seat. She kept moving until she wormed her way out the driver's door and onto the sidewalk next to it. She practically piled onto herself the moment her forearms touched the cement pavement and the rest of her body fell on top. Well, almost. Her legs were still in the car.

Rolling awkwardly around, Videl was soon lying on her back, bending her legs up so that she could pull them out of the car. Pressing her hands and arms onto the sidewalk, she dragged herself to her right until she was completely out of the car, and more importantly out of the sight of the shooter.

"Are you okay?" Gohan suddenly asked, drawing Videl's attention to him. He was dragging his body towards her, keeping low and out of sight as she had done when crawling out of the car. "You're not hurt, are you?"

_Okay? Hurt?_ A million thoughts flooded Videl's mind at that moment, but none of them were about her physical condition. "What's going on, Gohan?" she demanded angrily. "Why is someone shooting at us?"

It was a moment after that she recalled why anyone would want to shoot at them. They were both assassins, or at the very least she was one. She was beginning to have doubts about Gohan, but this turn of events was beginning to make her reevaluate that idea.

Yet, it was broad daylight. No assassin worth their salt would attempt to shoot their target in a busy street with hundreds of eye-witnesses. It was an act of pure stupidity or a display of serious balls. Videl was leaning towards the former on this one.

Instead of answering, however, Gohan finished moving himself towards her, twisting around until he had his back against the car as well. He then raised a hand and pressed it down on her shoulder, as if he were ready to push her down at a moment's notice. Videl was both annoyed and flattered by the act. On one hand, she was an experienced assassin that didn't require protection; on the other, Gohan clearly thought she was just some woman that needed protecting. It seemed she played her part pretty well if he was thinking of her like that.

However, that didn't clear up anything as to her question. With a scowl, Videl reached up and grabbed the young man by his shirt and jerked it down towards her, forcing him to look at her in surprise. "Gohan, you better tell me what's going on right now or—" she began.

"_Not now!_" he snapped at her, causing Videl's words to die on her tongue, her mouth clamping closed an instant later as her eyes grew wide. The look on Gohan's face warned her now wasn't the time for her demands, and it took her breath away. Father would get that look on occasions, but not even he had the same level of seriousness that Gohan had.

When Gohan looked away from her, Videl let out a deep breath, completely unaware that she'd been holding it in the first place. That had been something, she whole-heartedly admitted. Heck, if it weren't for her discipline from the academy, she was sure a hand or leg would've been shaking from the intensity.

"Okay, Videl," Gohan's words interrupted her musings. "When I tell you to run, head for the dumpster as quickly as you can and get on the other side of it," he said he pointed a hand in front of her face. Following it, she soon found an alleyway, a large metal dumpster sitting in it.

Videl blinked at that. He wanted her to run? Why? So that she could distract the shooter while he took off in a different direction? Videl mentally shook her head at that thought. So far, Gohan hadn't done anything to deserve that line of thinking. He seemed to have some sort of plan, though he hadn't said anything about his part in it. "And what about you?" she asked.

"I'll be right behind you," he told her before looking off in a different direction. Following his gaze, the dark-haired woman soon caught sight of a double-decker bus driving down the street. "Get ready now."

So that was the plan: use the bus as a shield for them to get into the alleyway. Not bad; not bad at all. Maneuvering around, Videl get herself upright, her back pressed against the car. She leaned to a side and slipped off one of her high-heels, doing the same with the other a moment later. If she was going to have to run, she was not doing it while risking the chance of twisting an ankle.

"Run!" Gohan suddenly shouted, and Videl shot up onto her feet. The bus was right alongside them as they took off, rushing towards the alleyway. Videl pumped her arms at her sides, her shoes flopping up and down in her hand. She dashed into the alley, heading for the furthest side of the dumpster. The dark-haired youths practically dove behind the metal trash bin, just as the bus moved on, revealing the entrance of the alleyway to the shooter.

That was step one done. Now what?

Breathing heavily, Videl glanced up to Gohan, making sure that he was alright, before looking in front of her. It was then she noticed a door barely two feet away from them. _Oh, please be open,_ she begged in her head as she stepped forward and grabbed the door knob. With a twist, the door swung open and she thanked the great Kami in the sky for this stroke of luck. The two youths rushed through the door, Gohan slamming the door shut behind them and locking it.

The first thing Videl noticed was the cold tile flooring chilling her hose-covered feet. They were in some sort of hall that made an abrupt left turn a few feet in front of them. Thankfully, it was brightly lit so they could see where they were going. With no better options, the dark-haired couple began walking to the turn.

Reaching the corner, they soon found themselves in a noisy kitchen, chefs hustling around as they worked diligently at the stoves and ovens. A high countertop separated the couple from the chefs, plates of food placed on top of it and ready to be served. Waiters and waitresses would appear and pick up the plates and disappear just as quickly. As one, Videl and Gohan began walking to the counter, both looking for an exit.

And they would've found one too had not some large, cubby chef appeared out of nowhere and started shouting at them. "What are you two doing in here?! You shouldn't be in here! Get out of my kitchen, both of you!"

"I'm sorry, Sir," Videl began, hoping to calm the guy down so that they could leave without much more fuss. "We didn't mean to—"

"I'll have you arrested for trespassing!" the chef raged on, clearly not wanting to be pacified. "Get out now!"

"Okay, okay, we're leaving," Videl said, feeling irritated. Seriously, she did not need some fat tub of lard getting on her because he was looking for a fight. There were plenty of other, more important things going on than his dirty little kitchen. "Please, just calm down."

That was when she felt Gohan's hand grab her arm. The next thing Videl knew, she was yanked nearly off her feet, stumbling after the young man as her feet slipped and slid on the floor. It took several steps before she got her feet back under her, and only then did she begin to wonder why Gohan felt it was necessary to almost make her twist her ankle.

The sudden eruption of gunfire answered it a second later. Videl could feel her heart drop as a machine gun roared out, the shattering of plates and screams of the kitchen staff barely reaching her ears over the horrible outburst of flying bullets. Gohan led them right to a set of double doors, ramming them open with his shoulder, and the two entered a dining area.

So they were in a diner, bewildered patrons staring at the dark-haired couple from their tables and booths. None of them mattered to Videl as she kept running, finding better footing on the carpeted flooring. Everything blurred around her as the dark-haired woman frantically searched for an exit before the gunman followed them in there.

That was when a hand grabbed Videl's shoulder and she was suddenly pulled off her feet and down to the ground behind a booth. As surprising as that was, it proved advantageous as the machine gun rang out again, this time bullets piercing through the double doors and flying through the dining room. People screamed and began hauling themselves out of their seats, rushing towards the exit.

Looking to the hand on her shoulder, Videl followed it up the arm to the person that had just saved her and Gohan's lives. She found a bald man in a suit with a rather peculiar eye tattoo on his forehead. He seemed preoccupied with Gohan though, which Videl didn't mind. As soon as he let go of her, she'd be on her feet heading for the door.

Suddenly, she felt wind blow over her, a pair of legs flying over her head. Turning, Videl saw another man in a suit, this one with long blond hair, and he was holding up a gun. Pointing it at the double doors, he began firing at them, cutting off the machine gun fire.

Okay, two guys in suits and one of them with a gun? Videl only knew so many people that'd fit that description, especially in small groups. These guys were either concealed-carry proponents who were on a business trip, or they were federal agents; the latter was one she did not feel like getting tangled with at the moment.

This time it was Videl who grabbed Gohan's arm and helped haul him off the ground and away from the bald man. Keeping low, the two of them raced for the restaurant's exit, the bald man not giving chase thankfully. It was also fortunate that most of the diners had already crammed through the restaurant's doors, so they only had to force their way through a small jam.

Reaching the street, Videl looked left and right, trying to figure out the best way to go. The suits would hold off the gunman for a bit, so the dark-haired couple needed to take advantage of that distraction. _C'mon, c'mon, which way..._

That was when Gohan began tugging her to the right, ultimately making the choice for them. Seeing no reason to argue, Videl ran as fast as her shorter legs could carry her, following Gohan's longer stride as he led them down the street.

It was then that Videl figured out where he was leading them too. There was a bus stop at the corner of the street, a bus coming to a stop in front of it. The doors had opened by the time they reached the stop, the bus' occupants coming out and giving the restaurant a curious look before moving out of the way. Once it was clear, Videl and Gohan climbed aboard. The dark-haired woman spared a glance to the diner to make sure no one was watching them enter it, and was satisfied to see that no one was paying them any mind, at least from that direction.

However, a new problem appeared. The bus driver was looking at her, a small sign next to him demanding a fair. Crap, she didn't have her wallet on her, or her purse for that matter. She had left that in her car at the motel.

Fortunately, Gohan did have his wallet and quickly pulled out a couple of bills, shoving them into the small toll collection box. The two of them then began walking down the aisle until they came to the first empty seat they could find, immediately sitting down in it.. Neither of them made a sound until the bus door closed and the bus lurched forward.

It was only then that Videl let out a sigh. As long as the gunman didn't see them getting on the bus-which she was sure he hadn't-they were home free. Next to her, she could feel Gohan relaxing his body as well, his thoughts agreeing with her.

However, now that they had a chance to breathe, Videl couldn't help but feel her thoughts wander towards the shooting. Specifically how Gohan had managed to keep them alive from the first fired shots. The guy clearly could think on his feet, no matter what the situation. Yet, his mannerism wasn't that of a cold-harden assassin. His concern and protective actions throughout their escape was...well, human, for lack of a better word. Videl couldn't image Wildcat or Serpent acting the way Gohan did. Oh, the planning and the sharp reprimand, sure, but not worry or the care the young man showed as they hid behind the car.

And for the first time, Videl began to wonder if this guy really was an assassin.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gohan occasionally looking over his shoulder, out through the window behind them. His eyes had a paranoid look to them, not exactly the look a harden assassin would have. In fact, he seemed to be fidgeting in his seat.

Looking away, Videl considered these actions. The more she thought about them, the more she doubted Gohan was responsible for the sudden demise of so many agents. Was it chance he just happened to be in the same place as Spawn and Android? Quite possible, yet she had been taught never to believe in such coincidences. That still left her with the question of just who Gohan was and she had the feeling if she stuck with him, she just might find out that answer.

…

**For those who are interested, we are a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stories such as this one. We're an open group, meaning that anyone can apply to join. Feel free to check out our forums, our Facebook page, and perhaps apply to join the group, via the link on our profile. It's a great opportunity for those who would like to better their own writing abilities and exchange skills of the trade with fellow authors, or to simply be more a part of a writing community.**


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter is brought to you by ShadowMajin**

…

There had been one unfortunate part of the bus ride back to the motel: it took a damn long time getting to the part of town they wanted to be. At first Videl had been alright with that arrangement, since she needed a little time to get her thoughts in order. Finding out a potential target was just some guy was disheartening to say the least. Unfortunately, the more she dwelled on it, the more she wanted to figure out just why Gohan was wrapped up in all of this. By the time they had gotten off the bus, she was practically humming in her pantyhose with pent up energy.

So the moment they entered Gohan's room, the dark-haired woman couldn't help herself as she exclaimed, "What the hell was that?"

"Remember when I said there were dangerous people involved?" Gohan replied gently, almost as if he didn't want to upset her. "Well, that was them."

Oh lord, he was still being vague. Even with the fact that they had been shot at, he still hadn't committed to a concrete explanation. This was starting to get absurd to an insane level. "They just tried to kill us! In broad daylight!" Videl stressed, trying to get him to see just how crazy this was. "He even shot at those people in the diner! If it hadn't been for the guy in the suit, we'd be dead!"

Gohan at least had the decency to look apologetic at that, yet it wasn't enough for Videl. "And it's not like they were just going after you. They were also shooting at me! Me! Who hadn't even been involved in this until yesterday!"

The young man ran a hand through his hair at that, taking a deep breath as he did so. "I know this is bad, but we need to calm down and think—"

_Calm?_ He wanted them to be _calm_ and do _what?_ Think their way out of this? Uhh, no. It was one thing to go into a bank without a plan, it was another to reason their way through an attempted shooting when half of them was keeping secrets! And yes, she was very well aware of the irony of that statement.

"Calm?" Videl repeated, her voice raising into a shout. "_Calm?_ How can I be _calm_ if I know there's someone out there trying to kill me? How? You may be used to having people trying to kill you, but I'm not!" And another lie, but it wasn't as if she hadn't done that before. Seeing that Gohan was still looking sheepishly at her, she tore her disgusted eyes away from him and noticed the young man's luggage on the bed. There were a couple suitcases and a couple black cases, along with a garbage bag for some reason. "Do you have some sort of anti-assassin stuff or something in all this junk?" she asked, raising a hand up to indicate the luggage. Now was as good of a time as any to see if this guy prepared for anything. "Please, enlighten me."

"Videl…" Gohan started as if he were about to explain everything. Then out of nowhere he said, "I'm going to use the john. You just hang out around here and when I'm done, we'll talk about this and figure out what we'll do next."

The absurdity of that statement made Videl's jaw drop. At a time like this, the only thing this idiot could think of was using the toilet? _Seriously?!_ And as if to further provoke her, the young man turned and walked right into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

"You have to be kidding me," the dark-haired woman spoke out loud. "There's an assassin after his ass and he decides to take a leak. Un-freaking-believable." Scowling, Videl looked back at the luggage, half-toying with the idea to just go through it just to spite the guy.

You know what? Yeah, she was going to do just that. Marching to the bed, Videl reached out to one of the suitcases and unzipped it, flipping the lid open, and stared at the messily packed clothes inside. The dark-haired woman bored her eyes into it before slamming the lid back down in disgust. Not only did this guy do things half-assed, but he sucked at packing too. _Figures_.

Noticing a suit jacket lying nearby, Videl ran a hand on it, feeling the coarse material. The only thing it told her was that Gohan did not have a lot of money. Sure, it must've cost him a few hundred zenni, but it was cheap, if not tacky compared to the suits she owned. Flipping the jacket open, she continued feeling the inside of it.

It was then Videl felt something hard and pointed. Frowning, the dark-haired woman noticed there was a pocket in the inside lining of the coat. Parting it open with a finger, she then reached in and encountered something thin and square-shaped. Grabbing it, Videl pulled it out and found herself holding a CD case, a CD inside of it.

Now what was this? Considering the lack of artwork on it, Videl doubted this was some music disk. For a moment, the woman was tempted to take it, but realized she didn't exactly have the place to put it in her clothes, not to mention she didn't have a purse on her. Plus, Gohan may notice its absence and would know for certain that she was the one who took it. With great reluctance, she shoved the CD case back into the pocket, but made a mental note to get her hands on a blank CD so she could swap them out.

Turning away from the suit jacket, the dark-haired woman soon focused on the black case. Aside from the fact that it reminded her of her own rifle case, she was quick to spot that it lacked a lock. Moving her hands to the latches, she undid them and flipped the case lid open.

Videl felt the blood in her veins freeze as her stomach dropped. With wide eyes, she looked down at a disassembled sniper rifle. Vaguely, she was aware of her hand beginning to tremble.

Never had Videl misjudged someone this badly. This guy, this seemingly sweet guy, was nothing more than the facade for an assassin. Dear Kami, he had her convinced he wasn't! To be duped like this... It was horrifying to know that even someone as cynical as her could be drawn into the act. Who _was_ this guy?

It was then the bathroom door open, Gohan stepping out as he said, "Videl, I think we need…to…"

The young man trailed off immediately when he caught sight of her. Yet, Videl didn't look at him, too caught up in staring at the rifle. It took her brain a moment to realize that this very cunning assassin had just walked in on her discovering his secret.

Tearing her eyes away from the weapon, she slowly turned her head to look at...him. The dark-haired man was paled, returning a panicked expression to her blank one.

Oh geez, he was between her and the door. There was no telling what skills he had, but Videl didn't like the height differential between them. He could be on her in three-no, two steps-and he was sure to have some kind of muscle on him. Or maybe he didn't, though Videl was not going to underestimate him; not again.

Still, it wasn't as if she were out of options. Whipping her head back to the case, Videl snatched the body of the rifle and yanked it out, turning back around and aiming it right at the dark-haired man. Although the barrel wasn't attached, she could still fire it at him as long as he left a bullet in the chamber. All she would need was one shot anyways.

Backing away from the man, trying to put as much distance as she could between them so that she could plainly see any attempt he made to charge at her, Videl soon felt her back press against the wall. "Stay where you are," she demanded heatedly. "Don't come any closer."

Gohan wisely raised his hands up, keeping them in her sight. His pale face was replaced with a much calmer one, something Videl didn't like one bit. "I'm not going to hurt you," he told her.

Oh, _he_ wasn't going to hurt _her_, huh? Yeah, right. "Damn right, you're not going to hurt me. I'm the one with the gun," she reminded him, clutching the rifle tightly.

The young man ignored her retort, instead saying, "I think…we need to talk."

_So now you want to talk huh?_ Perhaps the dark-haired woman should've pointed a gun at him the first time they met. That would've saved her all that time she spent "befriending" and "getting to know" him. "You bet we do," she said, "like why the hell do you have a freaking rifle with you?"

The dark-haired youth glanced over to the bed, specifically at the open case, before looking back to her. "You want the whole truth?"

"As opposed to half of it?" Videl replied sarcastically. "Yeah, I would." A thought then occurred to her, one that caused her to narrow her eyes. He had been lying to her this entire time, so what assurance did she have that this would be the actual truth? "But how will I know you're not lying?" she pointed out, her eyes daring him to challenge her.

"Well, you do have a gun pointed at me," he said pointedly. "If you felt like I was lying, you could just shoot me in the foot or something."

Videl paused. He had a good point there. "Okay, tell me."

He then pointed his hand to the bed. "You mind if I sit down?" he asked. "This is kind of a long story."

"Don't do anything funny," she warned him.

Slowly, the young man walked over to the bed, mindful to keep his hands where she could see them. All the while, Videl followed him with the gun until he took a seat on the foot of the bed. He was seated right next to the open case, which he glanced at for a brief second before reaching out to it. The dark-haired woman's first thought was that he had been reaching for something in the case, something that made her trigger finger very itchy. Imagine her surprise when he simply closed it.

And then he started speaking. "In all honesty, I'm just a guy who works in a cubicle for a living." At that Videl snorted. Oh sure, he was still playing up that innocent bystander routine. She should just shoot him on principle now. Despite hearing her derision, though, the young man continued. "Up until a couple weeks ago, I was living a dull life, doing dull things, and never thought I'd be doing anything else. And then my father suddenly died."

"Tragic. What does that have to do with anything?"

The dark-haired youth seemed taken back by her remark, not that Videl cared. He was the one bringing in so-called dead family members; it wasn't her fault if she didn't believe a word he said. Pushing passed that, Gohan said, "My father left me the house he raised me, in and when I went to clean it out. I found a lock box with poison, money, and several different passports in it. I had no idea my father had ever had this stuff or why, so I set off to find out. And ever since, all kinds of fucked up stuff has happened to me."

He paused for a moment, swallowing as if what he had next to say was difficult for him. "While I was searching out for answers, I ended up running into a brother I never knew I had. He was doing the exact same thing I was doing, or so I thought, and we decided to help each other out."

Videl wanted to be skeptical, really she did. Yet, she found herself being sucked in again, damn it. "What was he doing really?" she couldn't help but ask.

Using his head, Gohan nodded towards the weapon in her hands. "That gun belonged to him. At first he claimed to be some journalist on a job, but when I found that…" He paused to sigh. "I realized that he wasn't all that he claimed to be. Just like Dad. Goten was the reason why I went to talk to Ox-King. Ox-King told me about the Malone-Engvall bill, and then had half his head blown off."

Throughout the story, Videl found herself lowering the gun until it wasn't pointing at the young man at all. At the mention of Ox-King, she was jolted back to the motel room.

There it was, Gohan placed himself right in Ox-King's office, just as she had known him to be. That was one moment of truth, regardless of his reason for being there. Still though, he had lied about his presence there, and it behooved her to call him out on it. "But…I thought you said you saw him before the senator was killed."

Gohan winced at that before admitting, "Okay, I kinda lied about that part. At the time I didn't want you getting involved, so I figured the less facts you knew, the better off you would be. There's no reason to keep that away from you now."

Fair enough; even she could tell he wanted nothing to do with her when they first met. If she considered his story as truth, that he was thrust into this situation unexpectedly after finding a long lost brother and meeting with a senator that was killed before his eyes, Videl could see the reasoning for trying to keep other people out of it. Now the question was where this all went following Ox-King's demise. "And then what?" she prodded him.

"And then? Then I've had people trying to kill me. So far they only killed Goten, but you saw the latest attempt. They're done trying to corner me and make it look like an accident." At this, the young man looked her dead in the eye and added, "And now they probably think you and I are in cahoots together."

"But I just met you!" Videl blurted out before considering the situation. Of course an assassin would think they were together, since they were in the same car, then fled the scene of a shooting together. Really, this talking before thinking thing was starting to get old.

As if to further confirm that thought, Gohan said, "They saw you with me. They'd figure I was with you for a reason, and even if we weren't, they're not gonna take the risk that you're not involved."

Videl dropped all pretenses of keeping the rifle on Gohan, the weapon hanging at her side with the barrel pointed to the ground. Raising a hand up, she brushed back some loose strands of hair that had begun bothering her as she considered everything. Right now the dark-haired woman was faced with a scenario that she promised herself she wouldn't find herself in, yet here she was. "So now I'm stuck with you." Honestly, she wasn't the least bit happy about that. It was one thing for her to hang around this guy just to keep an eye on him, but due to present circumstances, if she wanted to keep her cover, she had to pretend to be this shanghaied bystander. How the hell did she get herself into these messes?

At least Gohan had the decency to look apologetic for the state of affairs they found themselves in. "Sorry."

Looking away from the young man, Videl glanced at the rifle body before tossing it onto the bed. There was no more point in threatening to shoot the guy, not when they were joined at the hip, so to speak. Her legs began to wobble and Videl found herself sliding her back down against the wall until her butt settled onto the floor. "So what do we do now?" she asked. "We can't wait here forever. They'll find us eventually."

"It would be best if we change motels," Gohan answered as he nodded his agreement. "But we still have one more bank to check out. We can start there."

This time it was the young woman's turn to nod, but then had a sudden thought strike her. "How did that guy even find us? It was like he was waiting for us."

Instead of answering her, Gohan fell into a daze, lost in thought as he considered her question. Honestly, Videl had no idea where to begin with that. She knew capable agents, but none of them had ever been able to predict where a target would be on the road at any given time, set up an ambush, and launch said attack. It was simply impossible without knowing the route beforehand.

It was very well known that the agents working for Frieza were good, possibly the best in the business. As good as Videl liked to think of herself, there was no way she was on that level. That then begged the question about Gohan: how was he involved with the assassin killings? Was he really just some guy who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Aside from some quick thinking, he hadn't really shown anything that belied an ability to kill anyone. Ugh, now she was convinced he had nothing to do with the deaths of Spawn and Android. Father was not going to like hearing about that.

Swallowing, it was then Videl became aware of her empty stomach. Just great, one more problem to take care of. "You know, I'm hungry," she spoke up, causing Gohan to jump out of his thoughts and pay attention to her. "Do you know any good places to eat?"

"Is take-out alright?" he asked. "I don't think it would be a good idea if we went to a restaurant right now."

Damn, he was right. Her shoulders sagging from that point, Videl replied, "I guess. You're probably right about leaving the room for now. We should probably get someone to deliver."

Nodding his head, the young man then stood up and walked to the dresser, opening one of the drawers and pulling out the thick yellow pages book. "I'll take a look in here for places that deliver."

Great. So that just left Videl with some time to kill before they got food. Might as well call Maid and give her a sit-rep. "I need to call my roommate, tell her I won't be back for a few days."

Immediately, the dark-haired youth threw a worried look at her. Holding a hand up to calm him down, she said, "I won't tell her about our situation. I'll…I'll tell her I was called out of town by my dad or something."

Alright, now she just needed a phone. Videl was about to grab the room phone and make up some coded message for Maid, when she remembered that she had left her cell phone in her car. Perfect! Standing back up on her feet, she began walking to the door.

"Where are you going?"

Looking over her shoulder, she answered, "My car. I left my phone in it instead of taking it with us, fortunately."

"Alright." Huh, that was weird. The dark-haired woman was surprised he accepted her reply so readily. She wasn't used to such blatant trust. Not letting the strangeness of it all get to her, Videl quickly left the motel room, hurrying over to her car in the parking lot. Opening the door and climbing in, she slammed the door shut before opening the center console and pulled out her phone.

After finding Maid's number in her contacts, Videl put the phone up to her ear and waited as she heard the dull ringing. It was after the second ring that she heard the line pick up and Maid said, "_This is Maid._"

"It's me," the dark-haired woman said. "Just checking in with base."

"_It's pretty quiet on this side,_" she was told. "_Father seems to have calmed down. He's not demanding to know what you're up to every five minutes. Oh, and Wildcat is in the city. She's ready to take him down at a moment's notice._"

"Keep her on her leash," Videl quickly demanded. "Now is not a good time for her to be going guns blazing."

"_Oh? What happened?_"

With a sigh, the young woman began, "You're aware that Kay is researching the Malone-Engvall bill, right? Well, we were just checking out a lead this morning when we were attacked."

"_Attacked? When was this?_"

"In the middle of the day. Freaking broad daylight. I don't have anything positive, but I'm willing to bet that it was one of Frieza's guys. I mean, it wasn't like we were led into a trap or anything. We were just driving along when someone started taking shots at us."

There was a brief silence before Maid countered, "_You know, I think I saw something about some shooting downtown. So that was you guys?_"

"Yeah, that was us."

"_Huh, small world. Still, it is possible your shooter could've been waiting for you on that street._"

Videl rolled her eyes. "Okay then, tell me how he knew we were going to be on that specific street at that specific time? There's a hundred different ways we could've gone, and he picked the right road."

"_Ah,_" Maid sounded rightfully reprimanded at that. "_I see your point._"

"And what's worse is that I was spotted with Kay. Not only did they try to take him out, but they took shots at me. Kami, I look like I'm working with the guy."

"_Well, that's an improvement. I'm sure Father will be glad you're playing the part convincingly._"

"This ain't funny."

"_It depends on where you stand,_" the blonde giggled into the receiver, much to Videl's disgust. "_But seeing as you're both alright, I'm guessing Kay got rid of the guy?_"

"Nope. I didn't even see Frieza's agent, and Kay showed no inclination to taking him on. All he cared about was getting out of there." Videl paused as she contemplated what she was about to say next, but then decided what the hell. "I'm really having doubts about Kay being some super assassin."

"_Huh? Really?_"

"Yeah. I haven't really seen him act like one, you know? He's paranoid, and rightfully so, but I haven't seen him do anything that would say, 'hey, I killed some highly trained assassins the other day and I'm looking for more.' I want you to know I'm being serious here when I say that you could take this guy. Easily even."

There was another pause, much longer this time. Then, "_You're really not joking about this._" She then made a hissing sound. "_Father's not going to like hearing this._"

"Perhaps it would be best if you didn't tell him about it."

"_You mean not tell him about your call?_" Maid said incredulously. "_Come_ on, _Devil, you know I can't do that._"

"I don't mean the entire call," Videl quickly responded. "You can tell him about the shooting, but leave out my doubts on Kay. If it turns out he really isn't a threat, then one of Frieza's guys is going to do him in. That will be that. But if it turns out he's a much better actor than I think he is, which I highly doubt, then Father wouldn't be any wiser to our doubts."

There was another moment of silence, to which the dark-haired woman held her breath. She was really beginning to reconsider trusting Maid with her thoughts, especially when she was on such thin ice with Father. It wasn't until the blonde spoke again that she relaxed. "_I think that would be for the best,_" she agreed. "_I'll let him know about the shooting and to have him keep Wildcat on standby. In the meantime, you keep track of Kay._"

"Yeah, yeah," Videl said with relief. "Not like I can get away from him right now. He thinks I'm just some college student who got sucked into this mess of his. With what happened today, I can't exactly go back to the dorm now."

"_Hey, Father's gonna really like that. I'm sure you can fulfill that sleeping order of his._"

"...Maid...I'm hanging up on you right now."

…

**For those who are interested, we are a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stories such as this one. We're an open group, meaning that anyone can apply to join. Feel free to check out our forums, our Facebook page, and perhaps apply to join the group, via the link on our profile. It's a great opportunity for those who would like to better their own writing abilities and exchange skills of the trade with fellow authors, or to simply be more a part of a writing community.**


	11. Chapter 11

**This chapter is brought to you by ShadowMajin.**

**...**

In order to satisfy their desire for security and the opportunity to keep leaving, Videl and Gohan had switched motels. It had been a mutually agreed decision, and after packing up all of Gohan's stuff, they were on their way to the other side of town. Finding another place equally rundown as their last place, they pulled in and went into the front office.

Videl had to say it: she was going to get pretty sick of motels before this was all over. She understood the reasoning behind it, and it was solid thinking, but did every single one of these places have to look seedy, if not a government inspection away from being condemned? Would it kill someone to at least put on a fresh coat of paint every once in awhile, if only to maintain the image of being livable?

Entering the front office, Videl strode up to the desk, where some guy with long, greasy hair sat. Clearly the guy hadn't gotten the memo that grudge was definitely out of style. "Hello, we'd like a room, please," she said, drawing the man's attention.

Almost immediately, the guy rolled his eyes in irritation—how charming. "Of course you do," he snarked. "Why else would you be here?"

_Think calm, pleasant thoughts. Think calm, pleasant thoughts,_ Videl chanted in her head. As nicely as she could, she asked, "How much will it cost?"

"It's four thousand zenni a night per room," the man drawled lazily. "Eight thousand for two." And then he looked up at the dark-haired woman, his eyes suddenly sharpening as he took in her appearance. While Videl wasn't by any means presentable, considering she was still in her sweaty blouse from earlier in the day, the guy probably didn't see too many pretty women come in. He'd probably think a blow-up sex doll was attractive if it walked in. "But I can drop that price if you're willing to…negotiate," he suggested slyly.

_Uh, no, not gonna happen._ While Videl had been the one to walk up to the desk, Gohan was still within grabbing distance as he carelessly looked about the room. Reaching out, the dark-haired woman wrapped her arm around Gohan's, pulling him closer as he nearly stumbled towards her. The moment he caught his balance, she leaned into him, doing everything she could to make them look like a couple. "What do you think, Honey?" she asked brightly, looking up to him like what she thought was a lovestruck fool. "Think we can negotiate with this guy?"

Gohan looked bewildered at this action. "Well, I guess we could…"

That had the desired effect she wanted; the clerk soured at the sight of them and begrudgingly slapped down a clipboard on the desk. "Never mind. Fill this out and be ready to pay up front."

"Whatever you say," the dark-haired woman replied, dropping the arm and picking up a pen as she began filling in the form on the clipboard. Sometimes it was just too easy.

For a time, the only things she heard was the sound of pen scratching against paper and some program on the television behind her. Videl hardly paid it any mind as she finished the paperwork, signing it with a flourish before handing it back to the clerk. The grungy-looking guy took the clipboard and glanced at it before typing the information into a computer. It took awhile before he finished inputting and turned around, reaching to a wall where several keys hung from little hooks. "You're room 104," he grunted out as he tossed the set of keys onto the counter.

"Thank you," Videl said as she snatched up the keys. Turning around, she was about to speak to Gohan when she noticed something off about him. He was staring off into space, his skin pale and shining with sweat. It was a bit surprising to see him like that. "Gohan?" she called out to him.

The dark-haired man didn't respond, merely continuing to stare. Taking a step towards him, the young woman reached up and nudged his shoulder with her hand. That seemed to snap Gohan out of whatever trance he was in, his head jerking up as he suddenly looked towards her.

Geez, his face looked worse from this angle. Not only was he pale and sweaty, but he had bags under his eyes that she was sure hadn't been there earlier. In fact, Gohan looked as if he were about to keel over. With genuine concern, Videl asked, "Are you okay?"

Shaking his head, Gohan attempted to regain his composure. It obviously didn't work as he answered her with a tired groan, "Yeah, I'm okay. I just have a headache."

"You sure, Dude?" the clerk spoke up from behind the dark-haired woman. "You're sweating something awful."

"Yeah, yeah," Gohan brushed her off as he began to retreat towards the door. "I just need to get some air, that's all." A second later, he was out of the office, the door swinging shut behind him. Bewildered, Videl looked to the clerk at the same time as he looked at her. The dark-haired woman smiled weakly at the guy as he shrugged his shoulders and sat back down in his seat. Not wanting to stay there any longer, Videl quickly left the office, walking out into the parking lot.

Gohan hadn't gone far. He was standing a few feet away, staring into his hand. "You know, you really don't look too good," Videl said as she took a couple steps up to stand behind him. Turning around, the dark-haired man looked at her tiredly, even more so than when he had been in the front office.

What the heck was going on?

Ignoring her concern, Gohan instead asked, "Did he give us a room?"

Going along with him for the time being, Videl answered, "Yeah, 104." With a nod, the two of them began walking towards the room. All the while, Videl couldn't help but notice how wobbly Gohan was on his feet. His balance was really off, yet she didn't offer him any support. He obviously wanted to pretend to be some tough guy at the moment, and right now wasn't the time to get an answer out of him, not when they were outside.

Reaching the door, Videl immediately put herself in front of it. Shoving the key into the lock, she unlocked the door and pushed it open, turning around to grab Gohan by his arm. She then led him into the room, the young man letting her until they reached the bed. There, the youth plopped down on it, holding a hand to his forehead in an attempt to soothe his headache.

Now that they were alone and out of sight, it was time to start the interrogation. "Okay, tell me what's wrong," the dark-haired woman ordered. "One moment you're fine, the next you look like you just finished a marathon. What's going on?"

"It's nothing," Gohan waved off. "Just a headache, that's all."

Videl gazed at him with disapproval. Did he really think he could dismiss her just like that? Crossing her arms over her chest, she then said, "Okay, cut the tough guy act. We're both in a bit of trouble, and we need to be absolutely honest with each other. Otherwise, something bad will happen, and neither of us will like it. Now tell me exactly what's wrong."

That seemed to cut through all the bull Gohan had been throwing up between them. "I was staring at the television," he began, "and just out of the blue, I had this pounding headache pop up. And there was this…I don't know, some voice."

"A voice?"

The young man shrugged his shoulders. "That's the best I can describe it. It was telling me to do something, but I really don't remember what. It…it felt familiar."

Suddenly, Gohan let out a groan and fell backwards, landing on his back on the bed mattress. Immediately, Videl shot to the bed, leaning onto it as she placed her hand on his forehead. She was taken back by how hot he felt; Kami, this wasn't a headache! Gohan was really sick!

"You're burning up," she blurted out then and immediately felt stupid. Man, what did people do in this situation, anyways? She needed to cool him down somehow...wait, that was it! Getting up from the bed, Videl hurried into the bathroom, turning on the light as she did so. She quickly located a washcloth hanging on the towel rack and snatched it up. Turning to the sink, she turned on the cold water and soaked the washcloth in the spray.

Once she felt it was ready, Videl twisted the water knob shut and went back to Gohan. He was still lying on the bed, right where she had left him, not that she expected him to be doing the can-can or something equally absurd. Sitting down on the mattress next to him, she placed the wet washcloth on his forehead, to which she was rewarded with an approving moan.

"I…shouldn't have had…that hot dog earlier…" Gohan said.

"Are you having a stomachache too?" Videl frowned at him as her eyes flickered towards the youth's stomach.

"Well…now that you mention it…"

Oh, he was joking. That had to be good, right? Smiling warily, Videl told him, "Just close your eyes and get some rest. Hopefully this will go away while your sleep."

She received a grunt in response but not in protest. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to relish in the coolness of the towel on his head. Soon, his body seemed to relax, releasing the tension it had been in.

Videl let out a sigh. He was sleeping now. Hopefully this...whatever this was, was gone by the time he woke up. Watching him, the dark-haired woman looked him over and soon found herself having other thoughts.

For one, that guarded nature of his was gone. Gohan looked at ease for the first time since she had met him, and she found she rathered liked the sight of it. It was as if he had reverted to some serene innocence he had locked up somewhere. It was...nice to see.

In fact, the longer she admired it, the more she found herself noticing that Gohan wasn't that bad looking of a guy. He wasn't some model, but he wasn't ugly either. Faintly, Videl wondered what it would've been like to meet him before this quest of his, or even if she hadn't been sent out to track him down. But then, there was no way she'd be at that library when she saw him, nor would she have approached him otherwise.

Sometimes life was fickle.

It was a long while before Videl roused herself out of her thoughts and tore her eyes away from her companion. She had a few hours at the least with Gohan out of commission, and it would be wrong of her not to take advantage of them. Standing up from the bed as the mattress groaned from the loss of her weight, the dark-haired woman walked towards the room door and exited. Heading to the car, she kept her eyes peeled for any suspicious behavior in the off-chance someone had followed them here and was spying on them. She didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean they weren't there.

Reaching the car, she opened the driver's door and climbed in, slamming the door shut behind her. Pulling out her phone, she went into her contacts and found Maid's number once more, hitting the call button and raising the phone up to her ear. It wasn't until the third ring she heard the blonde answer.

"_This is Maid._"

"Are you still in Blue Star?" Videl asked.

"_No, I just got back to Orange Star_," Maid replied. "_Need something?_"

"Yeah, I do. Is there any way you can go to First Credit Securities?"

"_Uhh, I guess so. What is it you need there?_"

"I need you to check out of that bank has any connection to the Malone-Engvall bill. I don't care what you do, just get me the info."

There was a moment of silence before Maid said, "_Mind telling me why I have to do this?_"

"Because Kay is down." Videl paused as she briefly considered whether she should say this or not, but ultimately gave in. "I don't know what happened. One moment he was fine, the next he was falling apart. We were planning on going to check this bank out later, but things came up. So I need you to do it."

She heard the blonde blow out an aggrieved sigh, then, "_Fine, I'll do it. Is there anything else?_"

For a moment, Videl was about to say no when a thought popped into her head. "Actually, yeah. You know the Traveler's Motel in the southwest part of the city?"

"_No, but I get the feeling I will._"

"That's where Kay and I are at right now. I need you to come here to pick up something for me."

"_PIck up what?_"

"A CD. Found it in Kay's stuff. I don't want to risk him seeing me watching it or finding it missing. That's why I need you to come here, watch it, and tell me what's on it."

"_I'll bring a blank copy,_" Maid added. "_I'll let you know what I find out and when._"

"Thanks." Ending the call, Videl dropped her hand from her head and gazed into the rearview mirror. She could make out the top half of her head with odds and ends of her hair pointing in all different directions. For a moment she wondered if she couldn't add some fresh clothes to that list, but thought better of it. Gohan was operating on keeping a low profile, and the sudden appearance of her in different clothes would raise red flags for him. No matter how much she wanted a new set, she was pretty much stuck in the ones she had, no matter how smelly they got.

For what felt like the tenth time that day, Videl let out a deep sigh. The things she did for her job. Though at the rate things were going, there was no telling how long she'd be able to keep this cover up. Eventually, she would slip up and reveal herself to Gohan, and there was no telling how things would end up with that. The possibilities were endless, ranging from the guy freaking out to potentially trying to kill her-not that he could. The thought of it was almost painful to her, since it most assuredly meant that this collaboration of theirs would end just as abruptly as it began.

And for some reason, she didn't really want that.

…

**For those who are interested, we are a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stories such as this one. We're an open group, meaning that anyone can apply to join. Feel free to check out our forums, our Facebook page, and perhaps apply to join the group, via the link on our profile. It's a great opportunity for those who would like to better their own writing abilities and exchange skills of the trade with fellow authors, or to simply be more a part of a writing community.**


	12. Chapter 12

**This chapter is brought to you by ShadowMajin**

...

The hours drug by, leaving Videl with not much to do. Being trapped in a crappy motel room was not fun, especially when you had a comatosed guy lying on the bed.

Which brought up a very serious quandary. There was only one bed in this room, something Videl realized when she had returned, following her call to Maid. That didn't help her temper one bit, considering she was ready for a nap as well, since there wasn't anything else to do. So instead of resting, Videl found herself watching some crappy network television on low volume so as not to awake Gohan. While she didn't like the situation, she wasn't going to create needless strife when the young man needed to sleep.

So it was to her great relief when her phone vibrated on the table, the screen showing a received text message. Maid was here. Getting up from her chair, Videl grabbed a CD case that laided on the table top, then carefully walked to the door. Keeping an eye on Gohan, she tiptoed up to the door, where she quietly turned the door knob, winced at the shrill of creaky door hinges, and stepped outside.

Closing the door behind her, Videl immediately spotted a car with its headlights on. The moment she appeared, the car moved towards her, pulling into a nearby parking spot. Walking to it, the dark-haired woman moved around to the driver's side, where Maid was rolling down her window.

Much like herself, the blonde was dressed smartly in a suit. Subtle touches of makeup graced her face and her hair had been done. Maid looked at the young woman expectantly as Videl came to a stop. "Your bank's clean," she said blandly.

"Figured as much," Videl grunted. She couldn't help but notice how Maid was giving her a once-over.

"You know, you could've asked me for a new set of clothes," the blonde remarked, her blue eyes returning to Videl's. "You look like you've slept in those."

"I wish, but I can't. Makes it hard to explain to Kay where I got them, and he's paranoid enough as it is." Videl grimaced. "For the time being, I'm stuck in this."

Maid winced at that. "Ouch."

"So you sure there wasn't anything with the bank?"

"Positive. I even ran a background check on it, and every employee and customer it has. There were some shady dealings, of course, but that bill of yours wasn't involved at all."

The dark-haired woman sighed. Great, now what were they supposed to do? With that lead all but dried up, she and Gohan had nothing to go on except wait for that insane assassin to catch up with them.

"Now, I think you mentioned something about a CD?" Maid prodded her.

"Oh, right." Raising her hand up, she handed the CD case to the blonde. "How long will it take for you to find out what's on this?"

The blonde shrugged. "Depends what it is. If there's an encryption on it, that could take some time. For all we know, this could be a top secret hit list or some dumb band Kay listens to. Right now, I'm tired, I just got out of a meeting with some bank manager guy, and my feet hurt. I'm not looking at anything until tomorrow morning."

_Oh, you're tired_, Videl mentally groused. Right then, she wanted nothing more than to slap Maid upside the head for that comment. She wasn't the one that had been shot today and was stuck in clothes she desperately wanted out of. Yet, there wasn't anything she could really do, since the blonde woman looked adamant about that declaration.

"That better be the first thing you do then," the dark-haired woman said. "I mean it, before you even think of breathing, you better be on a computer decoding that thing."

"Yeah, yeah," Maid waved her off. "You better get back in there before Kay realizes you're out here."

Videl snorted. "He's been out like a light since we got here. I'm starting to think this guy wouldn't wake up if you drove a tank over him."

A finely-groomed eyebrow raised up. "Mind telling me what that's about?" Maid asked.

"Hell if I know. One moment he was fine, the next he looked as if he was about to keel over. I still have no idea what triggered it, and I've been thinking about it for the last couple of hours."

"Strange." _You said it._ "Well, regardless, I'm off. You stay in one piece and I'll get back to you on this CD."

Videl held her hand out then, causing the blonde to look at her palm before looking up at the dark-haired woman. "The blank?" Videl prodded.

'Oh! Right." Maid turned away and reached for something before turning back, holding up a CD case. It looked close enough to the one that Gohan had, so it'd do for the moment. Taking it, Videl stepped away and began walking back to her car. Behind her, she heard the gear shift screech out before Maid pulled her car out of its parking space and drove towards the parking lot entrance.

Reaching the car, the dark-haired woman went right for the trunk, opening it with the press of her car clicker. Shoving the trunk lid open, she quickly located Gohan's suit jacket and shoved the blank CD and case into the jacket's lining pocket. With that done, she then slammed the trunk shut and turned to head back to the motel room.

Arriving at the room door, Videl slipped back in, already missing the cool air of the outdoors as she was assaulted with the stale conditioned air of the motel. Making sure to lock the door behind her, the young woman saw Gohan still lying where she'd left him. She then stared at the bed. A part of her really wanted to wash off right now, but there was another part that was beginning to crave sleep. The longer she gazed at the bed, the more that second feeling began overwhelming her. She hadn't realized just how tired she really was.

That settled it; she could shower later. With heavy footsteps, Videl trudged to the bed and plopped down on one side of it. Shifting about, the young woman made herself comfortable, ultimately finding her left side pressed into the mattress, her back to Gohan's unconscious body. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long. Soon, all she knew was darkness.

…

It was to the sound of a low, rumbling sound that Videl woke up to. Groaning in protest, she instinctively rolled onto her back, her head completely going to the opposite side of where she lay, her closed eyes being assaulted by something bright. Squeezing them tightly, the dark-haired woman resisted the growing awareness of her mind as she began to awake. And she had been sleeping so well too.

Slowly, she cracked her eyes open. After first all she saw was a massive blur, until her eyes adjusted. Soon, she could make out the form of Gohan lying on his back, his head turned towards hers as he stared back.

_Well, well, look who's up._

"You're awake," she said, her tiredness evident in her voice. Videl's body was stiff from inactivity, something she'd have to work out eventually. Through lowered lashes, she saw the dark-haired man nod in response to her words. "Do you feel better?" she added a moment later, her eyelids retreating back and allowing her to focus more on the young man. Much to her relief, his face was full of color instead of that sweaty paleness she had last seen on him.

"I feel fine," Gohan answered her before he seemed to hesitant. "Umm, why are we sharing a bed?"

Finally, Videl gave into her urge to move as she raised her hands high above her head until they pressed against the headboard, her legs extending out as far as they could go as she stretched the kinks out of her body. _Ohhh, that feels good,_ she mentally moaned. Reveling in the relief, she then replied, "This is the only bed in the room, and I wasn't going to sleep on the floor."

To her amusement, Gohan raised his head up and looked about the room, his face taken back as he realized how true her words were. "I guess that guy at the desk thought we'd be sleeping together," Videl pointed out with humor in her voice. "What's the point in having two separate beds when two people are intimately involved?"

"I…I guess so," Gohan mumbled softly, almost as if he were going back into that sick spell.

That caused Videl to turn her body to face him, incidentally bringing her closer to the young man. She gave him another once-over, trying to spot any sign that he was falling back into that sickness. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked with worry in her voice. "You seem out of it."

"Yeah, I'm okay," Gohan replied, stronger this time, much to Videl's relief. "I don't really remember much about…uhh, what's today?"

"Wednesday," she told him.

That caused Gohan to frown. "Are you sure it's not Tuesday?"

"Pretty sure. Tuesday was yesterday, the day we checked into this motel. You started feeling bad and laid down. You slept the rest of the day."

"Oh." He grimaced at that. "Can't believe I wasted a day for us."

"Don't feel too bad," Videl attempted to soothe his guilt. "We can just pick up right where we left off."

"Okay," he nodded as he acknowledged that idea. "I guess we should shower first before heading out."

Oh, a shower; how heavenly. One sniff of the air told Videl that they were both in dire need of one. Face lighting up in anticipation, the dark-haired woman immediately claimed, "I got dibs!" Seeing a good-natured look on Gohan's face, a little imp in Videl's head whispered something quite devious, and she couldn't help give into the impulse. With a small smile, she scooted closer to the young man, slightly pleased that he didn't move away. "Though if you want, we could always share one," Videl added with a hint of promise in her voice. "Save some time and water."

Gohan's eyes widened comically. For half a moment, the dark-haired woman wondered if he would jump out of the bed in astonishment, or agree to her proposal. A larger part of Videl freely admitted she wasn't opposed to the idea.

Yet, when Gohan didn't answer, she figured that perhaps now wasn't the time for such a step. Her grin grew into a smirk then, to assure him that she had been somewhat kidding. Rolling away, the dark-haired woman swung her legs off the bed and stood up. "Maybe some other time," Videl said, turning her head back, and was quite pleased to see disappointment in Gohan's face at that remark. _Should have said something, buster_. "I won't be too long in the shower, so don't go back to sleep on me."

Gohan nodded in response and laid his head back down. With a shrug of her shoulders, Videl reached up onto her tippy-toes as she began to stretch again. Really, that was feeling great, working at the kinks in her body that refused to go away.

"So I guess we're going to the other bank today, right?" Gohan asked then.

"Actually, I went there while you were asleep," Videl replied as she dropped her arms. There wasn't really any point of going anyways, since Maid had done all the footwork for them. They had other matters to deal with that were much more important at the moment. "I figured whoever is after us is expecting a couple instead of a single person."

Gohan quickly propped himself up, his arms holding his upper body off the bed as he looked at the young woman in alarm. "But they've seen your face!" he exclaimed. "They could've recognized you!"

Turning around, Videl shrugged off his unnecessary concern. While she couldn't say that she had a friend look into the bank, she could easily just place herself in Maid's shoes and take the credit. "I was wearing a wig and sunglasses. No one noticed me," she easily lied. There, now he had no more problems.

"Where did you get a wig?"

_Uhh_. Okay, she hadn't expected that response, but hey, she could easily explain that away. "My roommate. I stopped at my dorm room and borrowed it. She's got so many of them that she'd hardly notice if one went missing."

"Why would she have wigs?"

Alright, this was getting annoying. Why couldn't he just accept that she'd done them a solid? Glaring, Videl shot back, "What is this, 20 Questions? The point is, I did you a favor and took care of our business. The bank was clean like the last one. Shouldn't you be glad?"

Gohan looked as if he wanted to keep this going, much to the dark-haired woman's growing irritation. However, a loud knock at the door interrupted them, causing the two to glance at the door, dumbfounded. When silence was all they received, they looked back at each other, showing their puzzlement.

That was when the knocking started again, once more causing the dark-haired youth to look back at the door. Hearing movement behind her, Videl became aware of Gohan getting off the bed and walking by her, heading to the door. His body moved jerkily due to the disuse of the last several hours, but he was beginning to work the kinks out.

Reaching the door, he unlocked it and swung the door open. From where she stood, Videl caught sight of a bald man in a suit, a curious tattoo of an eye on his forehead. He was a big guy, nearly as tall as Gohan, but definitely bulkier. He held himself confident as he instantly focused his attention right on the dark-haired man.

"Good Morning," the bald man greeted Gohan as he raised a hand up and showed a rather alarming badge. "I'm Agent Shinhan from the NAIE." He then glanced over to Videl, eyeing her up before returning his eyes to Gohan. "You and your friend need to come with us. We have many things to discuss, Mr. Son Gohan."

A sinking feeling hit Videl then as her eyes widened in horror. Of all the people she hadn't been expecting to track them down, here was the freaking NAIE, and they clearly showed they had done their homework. Even from here the young woman could see Gohan's face pale as he realized just what she had.

A look beyond Agent Shinhan showed Videl that he hadn't come alone either. From where she stood, she could see a couple of dark cars, men in suits standing by the vehicles with one hand placed at their hips. This was so they could whip out their guns should the need arise. There were probably more surrounding the motel, should the dark-haired couple try to escape. They were trapped with only one way out, one that neither Videl or Gohan liked.

Not that they had a choice in the matter.

…

**For those who are interested, we are a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stories such as this one. We're an open group, meaning that anyone can apply to join. Feel free to check out our forums, our Facebook page, and perhaps apply to join the group, via the link on our profile. It's a great opportunity for those who would like to better their own writing abilities and exchange skills of the trade with fellow authors, or to simply be more a part of a writing community.**


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter is brought to you by Shadowmajin.**

…

In all the years she had worked the beat, Videl had developed very little patience when it came to her interactions with the NAIE. They were rude, arrogant, and typically made a situation worse before it got better—at least, that had been her experience with them. That same patience, or lack thereof, was rearing its head once more.

The dark-haired woman found herself sitting in a hotel room, this one heads and shoulders above the motel she and Gohan had just been hauled out of. A low standard to be sure, but she was beginning to see how much she missed the luxuries a basic hotel provided. Because this was on the government's dime, this room was, of course, going to be one of the better rooms.

Not that you could tell with the hustle and bustle as agents dashed about the room, entering and exiting at will. There were boxes of documents and files everywhere, men in suits rummaging in them before hurrying off somewhere. Oddly enough, the beds were made and nothing had been placed on them. An insignificant detail, but it was a strange sight in a place where every square inch was being taken advantage of.

Before Videl was a desk, the bald Agent Shinhan seated in a chair in front of it. A younger man with shoulder-length blond hair stood behind the agent, leaning up against the desk's side with his arms crossed over his chest. He had been introduced as Agent Sharpner, and he was cooly looking at the dark-haired couple. As of yet, he hadn't uttered a peep, though Videl got the feeling that would be changing fairly soon.

As for her, Videl also had her arms crossed over her chest, one leg crossed over the other as she calmly waited in her chair. How long she could keep that facade up was anyone's guess, considering each passing second where none of the agents addressed her or Gohan was another second that annoyed her.

And speaking of Gohan, he was perhaps the only person in the room that bothered showing an emotion, the poor guy. He was fidgeting in his own chair, eyes darting this way and that as he took in the busy scene. It was pretty obvious he'd never been in this situation before, and he'd break down the moment any sort of pressure was put on him. That wouldn't bode well for either of them, so Videl knew she was going to have to direct this conversation until Gohan retreated back into his shell of paranoia and clammed up.

Finally, an agent approached Shinhan, handing him a couple of files. The bald man accepted the folders and opened the top one, reading what was inside for a few moments before he addressed the couple. "You're Son Gohan of Ginger Town, correct?"

Surprisingly, Gohan didn't answer, though that didn't seem to trouble Shinhan all that much. "You work for a company in the same town, cubicle work mostly. For the most part you've lead a pretty quiet life. So, mind telling me why you started causing collateral damage all across this fair city of ours?"

And it was time for Videl to step in. Before Gohan could reply, the young woman reached a hand out and grabbed the dark-haired youth's forearm as she interjected, "Don't answer that. As a lawyer, I highly suggest you retain legal representation before answering any incriminating questions."

That earned her a look from Shinhan, one of his eyebrows raising up. "You're a lawyer?" he inquired.

Videl tilted her head up defiantly. "That's right."

"Well, that's one answer I needed," the bald man said, startling the dark-haired woman. Out of everything she could've thought the agent would've said, that hadn't even crossed her mind. Pulling out the bottom folder, Agent Shinhan opened it. "From our search, we came up with nothing on you, not even a name," he explained, holding the folder up so that she and Gohan could see the nearly empty file. Shinhan then added, "As far as we're concerned, you don't even exist."

_Kami...damnit!_ Already, Videl could feel Gohan's astonished eyes on her. Here she was, expecting Gohan to be the weak link, and what does she do? She blows her cover spectacularly. While not as...exotic as that judge, Gohan was very well alive, and he wasn't nearly as dumb not to come to the conclusion that she was not who she claimed to be. Father was going to have her head for this.

To make matters worse, Agent Shinhan caught the dark-haired man's incredulous stare-not that it was all that hard, considering the youth was practically announcing it to anyone who had the mind to look at him. "So Mr. Son here doesn't even know," the bald man said, leaning back into his chair as he gave them both an analyzing look. "Very interesting."

That was when the blond agent spoke up. "Actually, Mr. Son there is actually going under an alias, one of a man wanted in connection to an assassination attempt. Put that with a woman that doesn't exist, and we don't have to give into their legal requests."

Oh, that guy was on her shit-list now. Glowering at him, Videl began to plot all sorts of devilish things she'd do to the punk once she was out of this room and had him cornered. To add further insult to injury, Shinhan turned his chair to regard the blond man with an approving look on his face. "Right you are, Sharpner." Turning back around, Shinhan leaned forward in his seat, giving the dark-haired couple a serious look. "To be frank, you have no rights here. Any requests you make can and will be ignored so we can get to the bottom of our case."

Videl didn't bother to hide her rage, her face twisting into a snarl. Her inner-constitutional lawyer was rearing its head, and it was _pissed_. "You can't do that!" she shouted, causing many of the agents to stop what they were doing to stare. "We're legal citizens, and we can and will retain our civil rights!"

And damn that bald-headed bastard, he had to _gall_ to return her outrage with a confident smirk. "But there are no records of you, not even when we lifted your fingerprints from Mr. Son's abandoned car. So in that case, you can disappear, and no one would go looking for you. If someone does, they won't be able to track you down. Then there's Mr. Son, who is currently on paid vacation. I'm willing to bet that he's in a position that he would rather not be in. If he were to retain the services of a lawyer, that would alert everyone he knows of his involvement in some very nefarious matters. For the sake of him keeping his employment and future career options, he sure as hell isn't going to make much noise. So, that brings us back to where we are now, your only option being to cooperate with us."

Oh...crud. Videl opened her mouth to say something, anything, but her lawyer side had retreated just as quickly as it had appeared, cowled like a law graduate that had failed the bar exam. And the sad part was, there was nothing she could say.

As part of her joining Father's agency, every record of her had been expunged, removed from circulation, as if she had never existed. As comforting as that was if someone ever had the mind to try and track her down, it was biting the dark-haired woman in the ass with a vengeance.

However, she was quite aware that she had an audience. Weakness could not be shown, regardless of how bleak her situation was. So, to save face, Videl crossed her arms once more and shot out her most devastating scowl.

Just like her argument, it was useless against this scumbag agent. "That's what I thought," Shinhan spoke, sounding smug about the whole thing. "Now back to Mr. Son. You've been through quite a bit these last couple of weeks."

Gohan swallowed nervously at that. "What do you mean?"

"Where do I begin? There was the Ox-King assassination; the car bombing that killed your brother, Son Goten; the bombing at the Carlton Gates; and now the shootout in downtown."

"Oh…that."

Apparently the agent found that comment humorous as he chuckled. "Yes, that. Now, if you wouldn't mind, tell me what your involvement is with all of this."

That was when Gohan turned his head back to Videl, who returned his attention. He had a questioning glint in his eyes, lost as to what he should do. Doing her best to be subtle, the dark-haired woman shook her head, an order, a plea for him not to give in.

The young man seemed to get the hint. Looking back at the agent, he asked, "Why should I tell you?"

"Because there are a lot of dead bodies and only one link between them: You," Shinhan responded sharply. "If you don't tell us what we want to know, you'll be finding your fate to be quite unfortunate."

Gohan's eyes narrowed at that, his self-preservation finally kicked in much to Videl's relief. "You're threatening me?"

The bald man also narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping an octave. "Should I be?"

"You can threaten me all you want, and I might just tell you everything you want to know. But just because I tell you doesn't mean it would be true."

That caught the agent off guard as he raised an eyebrow. "You mean you would admit to stuff you didn't do?"

_Oh, Gohan, you freaking genius._ It was a stroke of luck, it had to be. Videl wasn't sure where Gohan came up with that reason, but it was bloody brilliant. "Of course," she added quickly, "you'll be putting him under duress, and eventually he'll reach his breaking point. You could make him admit to a plan to assassinate all of the World Leaders, even if it wasn't true."

Shinhan looked from Gohan to her and back. "You know, I get the impression you two don't trust me," he commented. _Yeah, no shit, Genius._ "Yet, you should. You see, I'm the only friend you've got right now and you're both knee deep in a lot of crap. So the moment you start helping me is the moment you start helping yourselves."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Gohan replied. "For all we know, you're also out to get us."

"And why would people be out to get you?"

This time it was the dark-haired couple's turn to raise an eyebrow. Seriously, did this guy not pay attention to his own work? See why Videl had such an intense dislike of them? "Hello? We had someone shoot at us with a machine gun in the middle of the day," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the word, which in a way it was.

That seemed to break the bald man's composure, his frustration with them breaking through. "That's what I want to know: why someone would do that."

"And you think we would know why?"

"Yes, yes I do. What's going on with you two is not random, not when you have at least two murder attempts."

"Then you should stop playing dumb," Videl retorted. "You already know people are after our lives, and the shooting was an act of desperation. I mean, why do that in the middle of a busy downtown street where the shooter could easily be spotted and identified?"

Shinhan slouched into his seat, his growing irritation losing its steam. "I suppose you're right about that. I suspected you were running from someone."

That was when Agent Sharpner let out a disgusted snort. "These guys aren't going to cooperate with us."

The bald man glanced to his partner and nodded absently. "You're probably right," he agreed. "Alright then, let's do this another way." With that, he closed the files on his lap, tossing them onto the desk behind him, and then leaned forward in his chair. "Let me tell you what I _do _know about you two."

Unconsciously, Videl leaned in closer, Gohan doing the same out of the corner of her eye. "Mr. Son here went to see the late Senator Ox-King—we can place him there due to an eyewitness. The senator met with you where he was killed. Then for whatever reason, you took off, probably scared. At the time, Mr. Son was working with his brother Goten, and apparently the person who killed Ox-King wanted to make sure both Sons were taken care of. Thus the car bomb that killed Son Goten, but since Mr. Son was not in the car, he managed to escape."

He then paused to take a breath. "While on the run, Mr. Son ended up at the Carlton Gates. There he encountered four men in a hotel room, along with a woman." At this, the agent glanced to Videl. "Most likely you."

"We didn't meet—" Videl began.

"You didn't want talk a second ago, so keep your mouth shut," Shinhan snapped, a harsh look on his face. Faintly, the dark-haired woman admitted it was quite intimidating, though she'd never say that out loud. "Now, you two met in the hotel, managed to kill five men, left a bomb to destroy the evidence, and left. The bomb destroyed half the room, but didn't get the bodies. You then hid out until another assassin—or maybe the same one that killed Ox-King—caught up with you, tried to kill you, and you managed to escape. So, does that sound about right?"

No, it actually sounded horrible. Yet, Videl could see how the agent placed the pieces into such a convincing story. Never mind that she had been the one to shoot Ox-King, or that Gohan lacked the necessary skills or materials to make a bomb; put that way and it made the both of them look very bad.

Leaning back into his chair, Shinhan crossed his arms over his chest and looked calmly at the two of them. "So, is that the version you want the courts to hear, or would you rather fill in the blanks for us?"

Once more, Videl found herself looking back at Gohan, who returned her gaze. "I think we need to tell them," he said, much to the dark-haired woman's dismay. Yet, she couldn't think of any other way out of this. Kami, this sucked.

Reluctantly, the dark-haired woman nodded her agreement. Taking that as permission, Gohan turned back to the bald agent and began, "I did meet with Ox-King. I was there because Goten needed to interview him. He had been blacklisted by the senator due to previous confrontations, so I had to do it."

Sharpner leaned towards Shinhan's side. "He's right about the blacklisting," the blond informed his partner.

Gohan continued as if that exchange never happened. "It was there the senator told me about something wrong in a recently passed bill."

"Which one?" the bald agent asked.

"The Malone-Engvall. He seemed really ashamed of it before he…died. I then went to the law library at the university to research about it." The dark-haired youth then gestured towards her. "That's where the two of us met."

Sharpner raised an eyebrow. "So she decided to help you out?"

"Yeah, I did," Videl sneered at him.

"Anyways," Gohan spoke, "we found something about Securities that seemed strange, so we went to investigate banks, and it was during that that the shooter attacked us."

"Why banks?" Shinhan inquired. "What was so special about them?"

"We thought the bill was referring to them because banks deal with securities." The young man let out a sigh then. "But I don't know anymore. Still, whatever is in that bill is why people are trying to attack us."

"People that can get legislation enacted for them," the bald agent summarized. "Sounds weak."

"If you were going to kill someone, what would you do it for?" Gohan was quick to reply. "What if you had a lot of money riding on something and some guy out of nowhere came and tried to ruin it? Don't you think that's a good motive to kill?"

"I see what you're getting at," the agent admitted,shifting in his chair to get more comfortable. "But you're saying some unknown person or persons are responsible for an assassination and subsequent murders. That's not something that will hold up in court."

A sinking feeling appeared in Videl's stomach. It was a feeling she was sure some of her suspects had felt when they found out that she was arresting them for a crime. "So you're going to pin all this stuff on us, aren't you?"

Sharpner was the one to respond to her. "You're not giving us any alternatives. You've already acted like wanted felons by leaving multiple crime scenes, not to mention we can link you every single one of them."

"Not to mention the things we found in your motel room as well," Shinhan added.

Blood drained from Videl's face at those words. Already she could picture all of Gohan's stuff, especially that sniper rifle. This was bad, extremely so. "You…have our stuff?" she asked weakly.

"In the next room," Sharpner answered, an aggravating smirk on his face. "As far as anyone here is concerned, you two are our top suspects."

"Now," the bald agent said as he leaned towards them again, entwining his fingers together in front of him. "Do you still want to continue stonewalling us, or would you rather let the courts handle your fate?"

Flabbergasted did not begin to describe what Videl felt. These agents were something else, that was for sure. These guys really wanted to blame them for everything, and probably didn't care if the charges were legit. Already the dark-haired woman could see the years of trial and appeals sapping her of her life. She'd basically be off the reservation with her agency, completely and utterly alone. Well...except for Gohan. He seemed willing enough to stick around her.

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted when a very familiar sound reached her ears. Eyes widening, Videl whipped her head around to look for the source of the unmistakable sound of a muffled gunshot. She found it at the door to the room, the body of an NAIE agent lying on the floor, a bullet hole in his forehead. Standing in the open doorway was a tall man dressed from head to toe in black combat fatigues, a gun with a silencer on it held in his hands and aimed right at the room's occupants.

There had always been rumors and hushed whispers of Agent Demon. The number of people alive that had seen him were extremely few, if not a number that could be counted on two hands. He had a reputation for always getting his target, no matter how wily they were, no matter how capable they were in evasion. Like his name sake, he was relentless until blood was spilt.

Videl had only let out one single, solitary breath when something rammed into her, knocking her out of her chair and onto the floor. An instant later, Demon fired his guns, sharp _twacks!_ echoing through the room as NAIE agents were struck with flying bullets. Screams came from the wounded men as they dropped to the ground.

A hand grabbed onto Videl's arm and nearly wrenched it out of her socket, dragging her across the carpeted floor. Head shooting up, the dark-haired woman found Gohan leading them into the space between the beds, providing them with some cover. Videl hadn't realized it, but she was breathing rapidly, the same as Gohan. The young man hovered over her as she laid on the floor, his wild eyes looking behind them at the rest of the agents. Faintly, Videl felt a strange sense of protection with Gohan holding himself over her.

It was when a roar of gunfire deafened her that Videl was drawn back to the firefight around her. Agents Shinhan and Sharpner, along with their friends, had finally drawn their own guns and were returning fire. The hotel door and wall were riddled with bullets, splintered pieces of sheetrock thrown the air.

Suddenly, Shinhan was right next to them, a hand grabbing onto Gohan's shoulder as the bald man pulled the youth to his feet. "We've got to get you out of here," he spoke, eyes and gun trained on the door.

Oh sure, go where? It wasn't as if a top assassin wasn't gunning everyone down. Seriously, this guy was so late to the party, it was beyond funny anymore.

As if things couldn't get worse, Demon started firing again. However, it wasn't from the front door this time, but a door that connected to the next room. Two agents went down in the span of a second, leaving Agent Sharpner the only man left to face the assassin. The blond man turned and leveled his gun at the black-clad man, but that was all he was able to do as a bullet bit into his shoulder, jerking his body back and leaving him wide open for the second bullet to rip through his chest. The agent dropped to the floor after that, never to move again.

By the time Shinhan had turned his gun to the connecting door, Demon was gone. Videl was still pressed into the floor, doing her best to keep low as she looked out of the small bed space for any sight of the assassin. A dreadful silence fell on the three as each one searched painstakingly for Agent Demon.

And then he was there. It was as if Demon had appeared out of thin air as he stood calmly next to Shinhan. With his gun-free hand, he crossed it over his chest and then swung it out, backhanding the bald man across the face. Surprisingly, the blow sent Shinhan flying from his feet and across the room. Even more astonishing was that Demon then raised his silencer-tipped gun and fired two quick shots, one tearing through the chest of the helpless NAIE agent and the other through the lower left side of his abdomen. A moment later, Shinhan crashed into a wall and collapsed into a bloody heap on the floor.

Suddenly, Gohan was on his feet, rushing Demon like a madman. Videl felt her heart leap into her throat as she watched horrified. The young man attempted to tackle the assassin, his shoulder ramming into the man's abdomen and arms wrapping around the waist. Demon dropped his gun from the surprise attack, the force of the hit pushing the two across the room.  
"Videl! Run!" Gohan screamed at her.

Even if she wanted to, Videl didn't have the time to escape as Demon merely raised an arm up, bent it at the elbow, and slammed it down on Gohan's back. The young man cried out in pain before Demon ripped the youth's arms off of him, twisted his torso to a side, and swung Gohan off the ground, throwing him into the wall. The dark-haired man hit it head-first with a loud bang, then dropped to the floor unconscious, or so Videl hoped. A blow like that could've easily snapped his neck.

However, that just left her and Demon as the only people still awake. For the first time in quite some time, Videl felt a ripple of fear race up and down her spine as the dark-clad assassin regarded her. It was clear he wasn't the least bit concerned with her, but he wasn't about to let her leave this room alive. No witnesses, only bodies. So this was what it was like to stare death in the face.

Demon turned his head away from her and Videl immediately knew he was looking for his gun. He found it quickly and took a step towards the fallen weapon, bending down to grab it. Instinct kicked in for Videl and she immediately began scrambling for the small cabinet between the beds. She was completely helpless here, considering she didn't have her gun on her, and the nearest one was too damn far for her to reach. However, the cabinet had an alarm clock and lamp on top of it that she could use for a makeshift weapon. Perhaps if she landed a hit on Demon's head, it'd stun him long enough for her to grab a gun.

And if that were to happen, pigs could fly out of her ass, Father would learn that gender equality did in fact exist, and someone, somewhere on this planet would finally learn how to set a VCR. You know, since such things could happen.

Reaching the cabinet, Videl was on her knees, her hand shooting out for the lamp. The moment she grabbed it, she heard a cry of pain, stopping her cold. Head spinning around, her eyes widened as she saw Gohan of all people standing next to Demon, his hand on the assassin's wrist and extending the arm out and away from Videl. With his other hand, Gohan shot it up and slammed his palm above Demon's elbow, hyperextending the arm as another cry tore from the black-clad man's mouth.

As Demon's gun slipped out of his grasp and fell to the floor, Videl watched stunned as Gohan seemed to hold the assassin at bay. He was completely stoic, a look she'd never seen on his face before, which unnerved her greatly. Hell, how was he even standing up?! She had been sure he'd been rendered unconscious the moment he hit that wall.

Suddenly, Demon shot a hand up. Videl's eyes must've been playing with her as she thought she saw a faint glow coming from the hand. Yet, Gohan jerked his head to a side for some reason, even as a light beam flashed between the two men. Oh yeah, the dark-haired woman was seeing things, that was for sure.

Unfortunately, due to his sudden move, Gohan lost his grip on Demon's wrist, which the assassin immediately bent back, then sent his elbow plowing into the young man's face. The blow caused the dark-haired youth to jerk backwards, which allowed Demon to fully turn and face him. Closing the distance between them, Demon unleashed a flurry of punches at Gohan's midsection, each hit being driven with increasing ferocity.

And yet, miraculously, Gohan recovered so fast that he began blocking-_blocking!_-Demon's punches. Had Videl been anyone else, she would've continued gaping at the spectacle, but a rather brilliant thought entered her head. She had no clue how Gohan was standing up to Demon, but there was no way he could keep this up. She needed to turn things into their favor, which meant she needed a gun.

Before she could make a move though, a bright light filled her sight then, rushing by the side of her head as heat caressed her face. Turning her head to a side, Videl felt her eyes widen as she saw a hole in the cabinet right next to her face, the edges of the hole singed black as if it were burned. The dark-haired woman felt her stomach drop like a stone as she realized just how close she was to having that hole be right where her skull was.

Keeping her head still, Videl turned her eyes back to the fight, finding Gohan and Demon seemingly dancing around each other. One would duck a thrown fist and raise their arm up, a bright beam of light firing from their palm. The other would dodge to a side to avoid the beam, only to throw up their own hand and fire their own light beam, which was evaded and returned with another.

_Oh dear Kami, what the fuck is all of this?_

Somehow, none of the beams were fired at her, not that Videl noticed that fact; she was completely consumed by this freaky turn in the fight that she had stop breathing. This was some sort of nightmare, it had to be. There was no way people could do...these...things…

And then, Demon's body suddenly blurred, just as Gohan blasted him with another wave of light. The black blur dodged to Gohan's left and seemed to race about the room. The young man jerked his glowing-_glowing!_-hand after the blur, trying to get a lock on it as he fired one missed beam after another at it.

Suddenly, Demon was crouched right in front of Gohan. In an incredible display of strength, the assassin slammed a fist into the youth's chest, sending him flying through the air. Awe-filled eyes followed the dark-haired man as he collided with the wall and fell to the floor, somehow landing on his feet. The young woman could hear him gasp loudly as he sucked in as much air as he could as he recovered.

By then, Demon was on him, throwing a punch at him. Gohan immediately shot his arms up, blocking the blow, then doing the same when the assassin threw a second punch. The way he blocked though… Tt wasn't some novice form, the way he used one arm to take the brunt of the hit while the other arm supported the first. That came from training and discipline, something Videl had no clue that Gohan knew. Even as he shot both hands down as Demon tried to ram his knee into him, the dark-haired man's moves screamed of experience.

And then, Gohan suddenly twisted his body, angling around Demon's raised leg and bringing one arm across his chest. Just as quickly, Gohan send the arm up, his elbow slamming into Demon's chin and causing his head to snap back. Balling his other hand into a fist, Gohan then sent it flying up, just as the black-clad assassin brought his head back down. Landing the uppercut, it was Demon's turn to go flying off his feet and through the air, alarmingly towards Videl.

Scrambling towards the side of one of the beds, she cringed as Demon fell on the other, causing the frame to splinter and shatter, metal groaning in protest. Eyes open, Videl glanced to Gohan, who was calmly striding towards her and Demon, looking unperturbed that she was even there. Head jerking to the sight of a groaning assassin and back to the approaching young man, Videl felt it was in her best interest to get the hell out of the way.

In an instant, the dark-haired woman was on her hands and feet, scrambling out from between the beds, and keeping as low as she possibly could. In front her, she saw the fallen form of a NAIE agent, blood pooling around his body. Making a beeline for the fallen agent, Videl quickly reached the body and stuck her hand into the man's suit jacket, locating his gun in its holster.

A loud crash caught Videl's attention then, causing her to jerk her head around to see Demon back on his feet, Gohan crouched on the floor, and the ruined pieces of what looked like a bed in the corner of the room. A glance to the beds revealed one of them was clearly missing. _Kami, they can throw _beds _at each other?_

Hand tightening on the gun handle, Videl yanked the weapon out, the young women feeling a hell of a lot better with the familiar feel of a gun grip in her hand. Not pausing any further, the dark-haired woman then made for the nearby wall, turning around at it and using it to brace herself as she held her weapon up and at Gohan and Demon, not too sure which one she was aiming for.

Not that it mattered; Demon had vanished once more, causing Videl to frantically search for him throughout the room. It wasn't until she heard a blunt collision that she found Demon standing behind Gohan, who had an arm up blocking a kick sent by the former. Though she had missed the first blow, the dark-haired woman didn't miss the second as Gohan swung a fist up and into the side of Demon's knee, a loud snap being heard that made Videl wince and hiss and the black-clad assassin to scream in pain.

Demon stumbled backwards as he dropped his injured leg to the floor. Instantly, Gohan was on his feet and had closed the distance between them, slamming a fist to the assassin's face once, twice. The black-clad man vainly tried to throw his own punch, only for Gohan to simply step to a side and dodge it. However, the young man shot a hand out and grabbed Demon by his wrist, another hand going to the assassin's shirt. Twisting around, Gohan lifted Demon off the floor with a loud cry and swung him through the air, releasing and throwing him at the ruined bed in the corner. With a loud crash, Demon slammed into the mess, the room seeming to shake for a moment.

And then nothing. Videl held her breath as she waited for Demon to get back up, yet he didn't. She held it as Gohan stood still, eyes trained on the heap of broken metal, wood, and cloth, all but ignoring the dark-haired woman. She could hear him breathing heavily, waiting and waiting for his foe to continue their fight.

It was then Videl became aware of her hands. They were trembling, shaking uncontrollably. Her arms had grown slack during the fight and lowered her gun to her lap, but now she could feel the weapon jiggling against her thighs. To say she was shaken was a bit of an understatement.

She had no idea what to think of Gohan. Whenever she thought she was dealing with an expert agent, she was confronted with a friendlier, if not helpless caricature. But when she thought he was a...well, a sweet, innocent guy, he'd do something to shake her world, just like this brawl. How was he even able to sucker her like this over and over? There was no mistaking it, Gohan was not some nice, kind guy in over his head; he was a cold-blooded killer and it was only a matter of time until he turned his sights onto her.

Slowly, Videl raised her gun, pointing it at Gohan's back. She had an open shot at him. One squeeze of the trigger would end this tormenting rollercoaster for good and she could go back to being Agent Devil again. The gun rattled in her trembling hands, throwing the sights of the gun off of her target.

_Squeeze the trigger, c'mon, c'mon, you can do it. You _can _do_ this. _Do it, do it already! C'mon, squeeze it!_

Videl sucked in some air and steadied her hands. The gun stilled as the sights lined up on Gohan. _Now. Pull the trigger now!_

And then Gohan turned his head towards her.

…

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	14. Chapter 14

**This chapter is brought to you by ShadowMajin**

...

Fear could be defined as a strong sense of alarm or dread felt when confronted with a dangerous situation. Videl had felt such emotions throughout her life, what with being a police officer and a paid assassin. Yet, she was having trouble remembering the last time she felt terror-inducing, mind-numbing fear. Regardless of whether she had or not, she was pretty sure that whatever possible scenario that could have occurred to cause that sort of dread was firmly removed from the top spot now.

Even with a gun, which she had aimed right at the source of this intense feeling of hers, her body and mind were too panicked to make any use of it. She could see her hands trembling, shaking the weapon and causing it to rattle. Any aim she had was practically nil at this point.

And the source of all this anxiety was Gohan.

Mere moments ago, Videl had witnessed this guy, this seemingly simple, innocent, sweet guy, thoroughly match blow for blow one of the top assassins in the world. Nevermind that he kept up with that assassin and even traded bizarre blasts of light that burned holes through all they touched, nevermind that he took every body blow in stride and returned it with equal ferocity, the end result was Agent Demon lying helpless on the floor and Gohan standing firm, without a mark to show for it. Maybe he had a bruise somewhere, but right now, Videl didn't care a wit if there was.

She definitely cared about the guy staring her down.

The dark-haired woman's heart was pounding in her chest, the pulsing beat of blood echoing in her ears. All senses were heightened from the adrenaline rushing through her veins. There wasn't any way things could possibly get worse than this.

That is until Gohan took a step towards her.

"Don't!" she all be screeched, causing the man to stop in his tracks. "Don't come any closer!"

"Videl?" Gohan asked, sounding...well...confused. Of all the damn things he could say, _he_ was the one that was confused? "Could you tell me what's going on?"

What's going on? _What's going on?_ Who the fuck did this guy think he was?! He knew perfectly well "what was going on"! He _did_ everything to know that!

"What's going on?" she repeated as if to further confirm she'd heard right. "What's going on?! You just tore apart this entire room!"

Incredulously, this...this...freak had the nerve to look about the room, looking awed at all the damage. "I did this?" he said hesitantly, shocked even. "But I…I…"

"Don't tell me you forgot!" Videl exploded. Using the wall, the dark-haired woman shot up onto her feet, keeping her gun trained on the guy. There was no way she would drop her guard on him again. No more second guessing, no more odd contradictions; she knew a trained killer when she saw one.

And considering all the damage around them, that was well-trained.

"Don't you dare play innocent with me!" she continued heatedly. "I saw it all!"

Gohan returned his attention to her, this time Videl not being sent into a frenzy of alarm like earlier. It also helped that he had the _gall_ to say, "Videl, calm down."

"Quit telling me to calm down!" she roared.

"You have a gun pointed at me, Videl," he said, maddeningly calm. "I have no idea why you do, but it's making me a bit uncomfortable."

Oh, _he_ was the one uncomfortable. Him, the guy who wrecked the room and killed a man, not her, the innocent bystander in all of this. "Oh, _excuse me _for making you uncomfortable," Videl shot back, her voice laced with sarcasm. "I wouldn't want to do that, you know, since you happen to go batshit crazy if you are!"

Gohan raised a hand to his face as if he were slowly losing his patience. "You're not making any sense, Videl. It'd be so much easier if you just told me what's going on."

"You don't get to play innocent with me," she growled lowly. "I saw everything. _Everything._ You're some kind of…" she grasped for a word that eluded her until she blurted out, "monster." Oh yeah, that definitely described this guy. "That's what you are."

The dark-haired man jerked back in surprise as hurt covered his face. He seemed speechless at the accusation, which made an annoying voice in the back of Videl's head begin to question her. She immediately slammed that voice down in face of the evidence she had.

As if to make things worse than they were, a ragged cough sounded off from the corner of the room. On instinct, Videl switched her aim to the ruined bed where Agent Demon laid. Just great, perfect, _he_ was still alive. As if she didn't have her hands full with the standing assassin.

And then something happened to confound the dark-haired woman. Gohan began walking to Demon, not with a purposeful stride of a man about to finish off another, but with the weary gait of a cautious person. It stood in stark contrast to the maniac she had been watching minutes earlier. Even more befuddling was that he put himself right in her gun sights, between her and Demon. He only paused to glance at her before taking another step.

"What do you think you're doing?" she questioned.

"I'm going to check him," he surprisingly snapped at her. It was as if he were angry at her; for what she didn't know. "If he's actually alive, perhaps he can tell me what's going on."

That nagging voice in her head returned with a vengeance then. With all of his insistence of forgetfulness or amnesia, he was either playing that card hard, or he really had no clue as to what had happened. A small part of her hoped it was the latter for some reason. "You really don't remember," she murmured, more to get some confirmation out of the young man than anything.

Gohan ignored her, instead moving closer to Demon until he was kneeling in front of the fallen agent. The two just looked at each other before Gohan reached out slowly, placing his hands on either side of Demon's head. It was an odd scene, the dark-haired man kneeling before the one covered in black fatigues. There was a piece of wood sticking out of the agent's body, dripping in purple blood. No way was the assassin getting back up. And then, to Videl's shock, he pulled off Demon's mask.

Green skin filled her eyes, along with a bald head and short antennas. No record existed of what Demon looked liked, so this was the first sighting of the assassin's true face. The dark-haired woman wasn't going to lie, this was a bit exciting. That feeling changed though, when Demon and Gohan continued to regard each other, a silent communication going between them that she wasn't privy to. She almost felt like a stranger witnessing a special moment between two life-long friends, one she had no part of.

That moment ended when Demon began to raspily cough, specks of blood flying out of his mouth. "You're… you're good," the green man complimented.

Gohan frowned at that. "I…I don't know what you're talking about."

Demon gazed at him, seemingly judging the young man's honesty. "You don't…remember?" he questioned.

The dark-haired youth shook his head in response. "No."

Amazingly enough, Demon accepted that answer at face value. "No…I don't suppose…you would…"

"What does that mean?" Gohan demanded desperately. When the green man began to sag, eyes closing as his head began tilting down, the yough grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him, awakening the assassin roughly. "Tell me what that means!" the dark-haired man pleaded.

Demon's eyes went back to closing. "So…tired…" he mumbled out.

"Tell me what you're talking about!"

For a second, Videl felt that Demon was about to expire, taking with him all of his secrets. It was the way of the assassin after all. Yet, the guy surprisingly let an answer out. "Project…Dormancy…"

_Project Dormancy?_ Videl had no idea what that was. Neither did Gohan from the look on his face. Unfortunate, but that seemed to be all the answer they would get. Not that Gohan was going to give up on it. "What is that? What is Project Dormancy?"

Demon let out a hacking cough, spitting out more blood. He was definitely in his last moments. "They…they'll keep coming…for you…" he warned instead.

"For me?" Gohan responded, going along with the subject change. "Who? The people you work for?"

Demon nodded his head, then turned his attention from the young man to Videl. Even from where she stood, she could tell the agent recognized her for who she was. "Odd company…you keep…" he spoke with an almost vindictive tone. "Never know…who you can…trust…"

Videl did her best to keep her outrage clamp down—really, she did. But that was a freaking breach of professional etiquette if she ever saw one. If it weren't for the fact she'd give herself away, she would've put a bullet between Demon's eyes to finish him off. Seriously, what was wrong with him?

"What's your name?"

The question shook Videl out of her anger, realizing that Gohan had once more sent a shock through her, if not the room. Even Demon looked surprised at the question. Today seemed a day for such unexpected twists and turns.

"No one…has ever…asked me that…" Demon commented.

"First time for everything, right?" Gohan replied, a strained smile on his face.

The assassin chuckled, which ended in another harsh cough. "Piccolo…call me that…"

"Okay Piccolo. For what it's worth, I'm sorry you're like this."

"Part of the job…" the green man waved off. "So…tired…"

And then, at long last, Demon closed his eyes and slumped into himself. His chest stilled as his breathing stopped. Gohan and Videl stared at him for what felt like hours, but surely was only seconds.

The next thing she knew, Gohan was up on his feet, looking to the desk, which miraculously was still intact. Walking over to it, he picked up the files Agent Shinhan had placed on them, the ones of their background checks. With them secured under his arm, he then began walking to the connecting door that Demon had used earlier.

All of this left Videl startled. It was as if the young man was on some kind of mission, unfazed by his surroundings. She couldn't help herself when she asked, "Where do you think you're going?"

Gohan stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn to acknowledge her. "I'm getting out of here," he replied simply.

"And you were just gonna leave me here?" she nearly shouted incredulously.

"According to you, I'm some sort of monster," Gohan retorted, making the dark-haired woman wince. "I didn't think you'd want to stick around. You better get any info these people have on you and take it with you. You wouldn't want them tracking you down again."

The idea that Gohan seemed fine with leaving her upset Videl. Forget that she had an assignment to keep, she didn't like at all how he was practically tossing her aside, after everything they had been through. To hell with that! "Oh no, you are not leaving me behind," she said sternly, closing the distance between them until she was standing right next to the dark-haired man. "We're in this together."

Gohan finally turned his head to look at her, much to her relief. "Just a moment ago you didn't want me anywhere near you."

"That was then," she shrugged off, though she could tell that answer wasn't good enough for her companion. Videl began racking her brain then for a more suitable answer, but found she was coming up empty-handed. Now was definitely not the time for that. With nothing to go with, she ultimately decided to just go with the first thing that went out her mouth. "Look, there's something very strange going on here, and I know you're going to get to the bottom of it. After everything that's happened, I have to know too. Why people are out to kill me, kill you... what started this whole crazy thing."

Videl felt rather pleased with herself with that answer. Perhaps blurting out the first thing that came to her mind wasn't always bad. Gohan even looked as if he wanted to reply to it, but turned his head away to her disappointment. His next words, however, were at odds with his action. "If you're gonna come, grab whatever you need and do it fast. I'm going into the next room to get something and you better be ready to leave after I get it."

With that, Gohan left the room, leaving Videl all by her lonesome. Dazed at the dismissal, it took her a moment to shake it off and begin doing as he had suggested, rooting about the room for anything that held anything substantial about her or her agency. Father would definitely be interested to know how much the NAIE knew about him and his agency. There were a lot of files, though, nearly overflowing in their cardboard containers. It became very apparent to her as she skimmed through many of them that a lot had to do with the investigations this federal team was operating.

After rifling through several boxes—and finding her cell phone that had been...confiscated—the dark-haired woman came to the conclusion there wasn't anything of note concerning her or her co-workers. That was a relief considering the sudden focus of the NAIE on her. However, the information on Shinhan's investigation could prove valuable. Finding a file that detailed Senator Ox-King's assassination and the Carlton Gates bombing, she snatched those up, along with an intact laptop—in the event there was something on the harddrive that could prove damning. She then turned to a desktop computer that had somehow survived the carnage that occurred here. There was no way she could carry that out without looking conspicuous.

Looking to the broken bed Demon laid in, Videl grabbed one of the bed legs and pulled on it, finding it still attached to the bed. Letting it go, she grabbed another leg, this one breaking from the frame, much to her satisfaction. Turning back to the computer, she raised the bed leg up and began hammering the monitor and processor. Bits and pieces of fiberglass and plastic shattered with every blow she landed, yet she didn't stop, not until she saw the innards of the processor. Here she took great care to crush, crack, and utterly ruin each bit of drive and computer component. Just because she couldn't find physical information concerning her didn't mean it wasn't here. Satisfied that she had destroyed the computer thoroughly, she did a quick wipedown with her shirt of the bed leg to destroy fingerprints and tossed it back to the remains of the bed. With that done, the dark-haired woman began making her way to the room door.

There was a part of Videl that hoped Gohan was waiting for her in the hall, or at the very least she could catch him there. Yet, there was a less confident part that whispered to her, telling her that he probably had already left, fooling her into thinking he was collecting his things in the next room. She could feel dread welling up in her at that thought.

Fortunately, her dark thoughts proved false as she ran into Gohan just exiting the room, two black cases and a garbage bag in his hands. Looked like they were ready to go.

"Stop."

Videl quickly turned around, finding Agent Shinhan somehow still alive, lying in view of the doorway she had just left. The red stain on the carpet indicated he had managed to drag himself to that point without her realizing. That didn't speak well of the woman if she missed something as obvious as a nearly dead man rolling around.

The bald man seemed to be having trouble looking at them, one of his eyes closed as the other was barely open. Considering the large red stain on his shirt, it was amazing he was even conscious at this point. "You…can't leave…" he managed to gasp out.

"I'm sorry, but we can't stay here," Gohan replied to him, a grimace on his face.

"We can protect you," Shinhan said quickly. His breathing was quite labored, not unlike Demon's previously. "Come in…we can work this out…together…"

Who did this guy think he was kidding? "Protect us?" Videl questioned with disbelief palpable in her voice. "You just got massacred barely ten minutes ago. Just look around! All of your people are dead, not just in your room, but in the hallway too." The dark-haired woman turned her head from side to side, indicating the dead bodies lying about the hall. Demon had made sure there wouldn't be any survivors in this attack, the three of them notwithstanding. "And there's no telling how many others were in the rooms on this floor." she added. "I can't imagine the assassin leaving them alone before attacking us. So excuse us for not believing you."

The bald agent ignored her condescension. "You need us," he insisted. "You can't…do this on your own…"

"They tracked us down here," Gohan reminded him. "And a lot of people were killed because of us just being here. We can't…I can't let anymore people get hurt by this. So the less people are involved, the better. I wish we could stay with you, but we can't.

"You'll be tracked down again… regardless of who it is," the bald agent argued, not that he didn't have a point there. He was completely right. "The people after you, the NAIE, they will find you. All it takes is one… just one slip up. A phone call, a security camera, a computer hack… this won't end… not until you let us… help you."

Videl had to turn her head to look at Gohan, to see his answer. In a sense, it was up to him what they would do. And honestly, she couldn't help but feel grateful when the young man regretfully said, "I'm sorry." Turning away, Gohan began walking down the death-filled hall, Videl trailing him in his wake.

Agent Shinhan didn't like that answer. "No, damn it…" he shouted after them. "Don't… don't do this!"

Neither of the dark-haired youths responded to him, his calls growing weaker as they moved further away. It wasn't until they boarded the elevator and its doors closed that they couldn't hear him anymore.

Hitting the 1 button, the couple then waited as they began to descend. "We need to alert the proper authorities," Gohan said then. "Get some ambulances to try and save some of them."

"Okay," the dark-haired woman replied quietly.

"We also need a car. There's no way we'll get very far on foot."

Videl considered that. It was true, they needed some wheels, or they'd be picked off before they made it three blocks. It seemed she was going to have to call base sooner than she thought. "I can call my father." _Ugh, I can't believe I just said that._ "He can send us a car."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "And you think your father has a car just sitting around for us to use?" he asked skeptically.

"He has some money, if that's what you mean," Videl replied. "He can afford to loan us a car."

"Fine, call him."

Videl couldn't help but frown at that. Those last few words, they were so dismissive—completely unlike the Gohan she was used to. It was as if he was closing off to her and it...it surprisingly hurt.

But could she blame him? After their stand off in the hotel room, there was a rift between them and it seemed to span a canyon. Gohan's distrust of her was palpable, and she had no clue how to fix it. Still, she had to try. So, as demure as she could be, which was a considerable amount, she stated, "You're mad at me."

Unfortunately, Gohan was not in the mood to talk. "Now's not the time."

"Then when is?" Videl was startled by how desperate she sounded. But then, she wanted things to go back to how they were, when they were just becoming comfortable with each other.

"When we're not leaving the scene of a blood bath." The young man paused at that. "We also need to send for some ambulances. It's the least we can do for Agent Shinhan and whoever else is barely alive up there."

"You already said that."

Gohan glared at her. "It bares repeating."

Videl flinched at the tone. "Okay."

Now didn't seem like a good time to keep attempting to repair bridges. That would unfortunately have to wait until Gohan settled down, and since this was the first time she had ever seen him this openly hostile, there was no way she could know how long it would take. She could feel it in her stomach, eating at her with every passing second. She hated the feeling.

And yet, there was nothing more she could do.

...

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	15. Chapter 15

**This chapter is brought to you by Shadowmajin.**

…

Videl locked the door of the women's bathroom, not bothering to check if anyone else was in the room. She was sure to hear some angry knocking very soon, what with this being the hotel lobby's restroom, but she needed some privacy, not to mention cover until she and Gohan could slip out of the hotel.

Apparently someone had heard all the commotion during Demon's attack and reported it to the hotel staff. A staff member went to the floor, saw all the dead bodies, and contacted the police. The moment Gohan and her had reached the lobby, they could already see flashing red and blue lights approaching. Needing to hide, the two split up and went into their respective gender's bathroom.

Bending low to look underneath the walls of the stalls, Videl was satisfied to note that she didn't see any pair of legs standing in front of a toilet. Sure that she was all alone, the dark-haired woman pulled out her phone and immediately went to Maid's number. Hitting "call", she waited anxiously for the blonde to pick up.

"_This is Maid._"

"Maid, I'm in trouble."

There was an aggrieved sigh on the other end. "_What now? Did you 'accidently' hang someone from the ceiling again?_"

_If only_. "Kay and I are in trouble," Videl replied, ignoring the jab. "In case you haven't heard yet, there was an attack at the Candlewood Suites. The Demon slaughtered a bunch of NAIE agents, and now Kay and I need a ride out of here."

There was a pregnant pause before the blonde said, "_What the heck did you two do?_"

"Later, right now we need a car. I don't care how you get it, just have one over here now. There's police crawling all over the place, and Kay can't be seen right now."

"_Alright, consider it done. I can have one out there in...fifteen minutes, twenty tops._" Videl could faintly hear typing in the background. "_I'm working on it right now._"

Videl felt herself relax somewhat. That was one less thing to worry about. However, there was one more thing she needed to know. "While I have you, have you heard anything about a 'Project Dormancy'?"

Maid seemed distracted when she answered, "_Vaguely. I don't remember much about it, but I do recall some nut meeting with Father about it. Apparently the guy had been going to every agency around to pitch it. Father laughed the guy out of his office when he heard it; you probably heard his laughing for the rest of the day._"

Something about that rung a bell in Videl's head, but that was about it. "Yeah, I recall that. So it wasn't anything major, was it?"

"_Not that I know of. Why do you ask?_"

"I heard it mentioned today. Thought it might be important."

"_You'll have to ask Father about it if you want to know more._" Abruptly, Maid then said, "_Hang on a sec, I'll be right back with you._" Before the dark-haired woman could respond, she was put on hold, much to her annoyance.

Well, that had been a bust. If anything, that irritated Videl more than being put on hold. Was Demon just putting them on a wild-goose chase in his dying moments? If so, the dark-haired woman was going to have to find a way to get Gohan to move past it. Knowing him, he'd follow it to a dead end, which could possibly be a trap.

Suddenly, Maid's voice returned. "_Good news, I got you a car. Wildcat's bringing it to you right now._"

Videl froze at that. "Wildcat?"

"_Yeah, she's nearby and she can get lost in a crowd easier than you or Kay can at the moment. She's going to park her car across the street, so you two better be ready to grab it when she gets there. She should be there in...six minutes, give or take._"

"Great, great," the dark-haired woman replied unenthused. Wildcat was the last person she wanted to see at the moment, considering her wild streak. She could be coming here to drop off her car, or put Gohan out of his misery—it was a coin flip as to which one she'd do, and that was considering all the law enforcement that was crawling around the hotel.

"_So, mind telling me how you two got caught up in this mess?_" Maid suddenly asked.

"You're guess is as good as mine," she replied tiredly. "This morning the NAIE managed to track Kay down and arrested us. Dragged us to this damn hotel where Demon caught up with us and massacred the entire unit here. We're lucky to be alive right now."

"_I'll say! This is the second time you met Demon and you're not dead. _The second_! No one does that! How'd you managed to do it this time?_"

"That's...an even longer story. I'll tell you after Kay and I get our new lodgings. Ugh, I'm not looking forward to another crappy motel."

"_You know, I can set you up at a hotel. A much_ nicer _hotel than what you've been living in. I'd bet no one would be looking for you there._"

Videl brightened at that thought. That was a very good idea; in fact, it was sheer genius. "Do it, okay? I could really go for something that actually has some luxury."

"_Consider it done, girlfriend. Now, Wildcat should be there soon. You better get ready to go. I'll let you know which hotel you'll be shacking up in a little bit._"

…

Agent 16 opened his eyes. Something was occurring, though a small ripple now, it would soon reach shockwave levels.

It had been happening for the last several days—weeks to be factually correct. Assassins were dropping left and right, culminating with the latest report of the Demon. A chief rival of the agency, his tenacity was legend. To obtain knowledge of his demise was troublesome.

_ASSESSING MAIN DATABASE. DETERMINE LAST KNOWN LOCATION OF SUBJECT, CODENAME: DEMON._

Windows began flashing before the giant man's blue eyes, red light flashing from them. Each window would appear and disappear within nanoseconds, yet he analyzed every character of information on them. When he had collected and interpreted all relevant files, 16 began reaching out into the ethernet. _LOCATING NETWORK CWS110010. NETWORK FOUND. ACCESSING NETWORK. ACCESS ACKNOWLEDGED AND CONFIRMED. SEARCH FOR NETWORK SECURITY SYSTEMS. CREATE REMOTE ACCESS. ACCESS CONFIRMED._

Agent 16 began searching through the security logs until he found the desired files, specifically the security footage of the seventh floor of the building. The footage he found was in real time, allowing him to see a hallway full of deceased targets mingled with living lifeforms. It appeared a police investigation was being in action.

Changing cameras, Agent 16 quickly located a room where a large contingency of lifeforms were gathered, investigating a crime scene. The room was in ruin with deceased bodies randomly placed. Curiously, there was damage to the walls that were of suspicious origins—rounded holes with evidence of fire damage marking the edges. Potentially the result of a laser, but Agent 16 was skeptical. Such technology did not exist outside of the agency.

In the corner of the room, he soon located a deceased lifeform, dressed differently from the rest of the corpses. Combat fatigues, tall, defined muscular structure—all were details associated with the known description of Agent Demon. The presence of green skin and a hairless scalp were not in the agent's known file, so further investigation would have to be done to determine if this was the true identity of the assassin. _FILE NEW ASSESSMENT DATA AND TRANSFER TO MAIN DATABASE FOR CONFIRMATION._

Agent 16 then began to assess previous security footage, attempting to rewind his current footage. However, he was immediately assaulted with an encryption warning and a demand for password identification. Since he had not been ordered to infiltrate the system, the giant backed off. It was a simple matter to overcome the security features, but he needed the command from the Great Creator. Gero would decide what needed to be done upon learning of this development, and would most likely order one of the other agents to inquire into the matter.

Deactivating his connection, 16 blinked his eyes as he began to readjust to his room. He was curious as to the circumstances behind this latest event. Logically, one would assume that someone was making a move against the Frieza agency, and that group was failing to adjust to the attack. It was unexpected as to the attacks and Frieza being unable to adjust.

It was definitely something to keep abreast of.

…

It was with great reluctance that Videl shut off the hot water, even more to step out of the bathtub rather than stay and just turn the water back on. The bathroom was filled with steam, the large mirror blinded with moisture. All she could make of it was a muddled silhouette of herself. Picking up a towel, Videl began to dry herself off, enjoying the soft feel of cotton.

That had been a long-awaited, long-deserved shower. This hotel idea was perhaps Maid's best one yet; the dark-haired woman would have to make sure the blonde received some sort of bonus for it. Gone was the sweat and body odor she had accumulated over the last couple of days, replaced with the moist feel of naked skin and scented soaps.

Finishing her drying, Videl wrapped the towel around her body, tucking in one corner beneath her arm to hold it in place. With another towel, she expertly wrapped it around her head, making sure all of her hair was surrounded for a natural dry. With a spring in her step, she began humming as she left the bathroom, entering her hotel room. In the corner of her room was her discarded clothes, ones she would probably never wear again. Just the sight of them made her cringe with thoughts of foul stench and dirt. Don't get her wrong, she wasn't afraid to get down and dirty, but putting on clothes that needed a thorough cleaning in a washing machine right after bathing just felt wrong.

Fortunately, Maid came through for her again as a new set of clothes were splayed on her bed. It was basically the same suit she had worn for the last few days, a white blouse and black skirt, but it at least looked clean. She'd wait a bit though, before she put them on.

Walking to a comfortable-looking chair, Videl sat in it and soon found herself sinking into it with a moan. Oh yes, this was definitely comfortable, completely different from that stiff thing she had used in the motel. Crossing a leg over the other, the dark-haired woman waited for the rest of her to dry, her thoughts taking a more tiring turn.

Gohan wasn't really speaking to her, something that was beginning to bother her. Ever since they left Candlewood, he had been eerily quiet, answering mostly basic questions. The moment they had their room keys, he had disappeared into his room without a word. This chasm between them kept getting wider and wider, and the young woman had no idea how to stop it.

Considering it was her job to stay close, things would change. While it was easier to look at it in that light, there was a growing, more vocal part in Videl that felt it more personally. She had really been warming up to the guy, so the sudden distance was alarming. Sucking in a deep breath, the dark-haired woman let out a melancholic sigh. How did normal people handle these situations? Surely this wasn't all that unusual.

Videl was pretty sure there was some protocol to follow in these situations, though what they were was escaping her. The only thing she could think of was a direct confrontation, and she wasn't sure how that would go, especially since they were at each others' throats at Candlewood.

That was another thing: how was Gohan able to take on someone of Demon's caliber? It had come out of left field, at least when placed with all of their interactions. It didn't fit at all with the young man's claim that he was just some guy that got caught up in the world of assassins. Considering his perchance for being around explosive situations, everything seemed to point at him knowing exactly what he was doing. Strip everything she knew of him away and just take the fighting with Demon and the dark-haired man's presence at the Carlton Gates: was it possible that Gohan was responsible for all these assassin deaths? He definitely had one to his name, so it was entirely possible that three others were on it as well.

And that's where everything stopped for Videl. Despite seeing Gohan kill Demon, his sudden bewilderment was puzzling. There was a missing piece somewhere that connected all this, and she needed to find it. Considering her luck lately, Gohan might have that piece and just hadn't realized it.

Videl felt her resolve strengthen. The two of them were on a collision course for a very long, very in-depth talk. It seemed now was the time to have it. Pushing herself up, Videl undid her towel and dropped it to the floor. Moving to her new set of clothes, she went through the motions of putting it on. Dressed once more, she then removed the towel on her head and ran a hand through her hair. It was still damp, so she pulled it into a ponytail; she'd worry about styling it later when they eventually left.

Stuffing her room key into her pocket, Videl then left her room, moving down a door and rapped her knuckles on it. It was several moments before the door open, revealing Gohan still in his rumpled clothes. Apparently he hadn't bothered using the facilities yet. Never mind that, there were more important matters to attend to. "May I come in?" she asked.

Gohan didn't answer her, much to her concern, but he did step aside for her to enter. Taking the cue, she strode into the room, taking note of the two black cases and garbage back on the bed, one of the cases unlatched. Hearing the door close behind her, she then turned around to face the young man. "We need to talk," she stated simply.

"Yes, we do," Gohan agreed stoically.

Videl felt her face harden at that. She had never been one to handle attitude all that well, and now was no exception. She did now what she did then and confronted it head on. "You've been copping quite an attitude lately. What's the deal?"

Contrary to the tension between them, Gohan seemed to relax and carelessly tossed out, "You don't tell me much. In fact, you don't tell me much of anything."

Okay, she hadn't expected that comment, but it was nothing in the grand scheme of things. Yet, for some reason, it rubbed her raw. "What's that suppose to mean?" she demanded.

"I asked you what happened in the hotel room. You pointed a gun at me and called me a monster. That's one thing."

Un-freaking-believable. Was he still carrying on about that? It had been a one time thing, nothing more. Hell, she had been frightened out of her mind at the moment, so anything was bound to slip out of her mouth, so sue her. "You're sniping about some hurt feelings? Is that it?" The dark-haired woman shook her head in disgust. "You need to do some serious growing up."

"Perhaps I will once you tell me who you are."

"Now you're sounding like a petulant child."

"It's a simple request. Who are you?"

Videl couldn't help the annoyance that showed on her face. After everything that happened today, _this_ was what he wanted to talk about? "Fine, if that's how you want to play it. I'm a law student at Orange Star University."

Gohan didn't look the least bit pleased by that answer. "You didn't answer my question. Who are you?"

This had been a bad idea, she could see it now. This guy must have had feelings as soft as tissue paper to still be butt-hurt. No way was she staying around for this. "I am not going to be playing this stupid game," she stated before beginning to walk towards the door.

However, Gohan decided he was going to be a jerk now and stepped in her way. Frown hardening, she ordered, "Gohan, get out of my way."

The young man just stared at her impassively before he painfully said, "Who. Are. You?"

"Get. Out. Of. My. Way," she growled back.

The two of them were locked in a staredown that neither were willing to give up, Videl in her righteous determination and Gohan with his increasingly irritating defiance. What the hell had she been thinking in wanting to make up with this guy? She must've hit her head on something to feel that concerned for something that wasn't worth her time. If this guy wanted to be stubborn with her, then she could be stubborn back, more so even.

Then, Gohan backed down, stepping back away. For a moment, Videl felt triumphant that she was able to back him down, just like old times. She had this guy's number down pat and how to use it.

That feeling immediately disappeared the moment Gohan pulled out a gun and pointed it right in her face.

Videl couldn't help herself; her eyes focused right down the barrel of the gun, making out the presence of a bullet in the chamber. Her stomach began to sink at the implication of that.

"I'm sorry about this," Gohan began apologetically before he launched into a rant. "But you're leaving me no choice. As of right now, I'm wanted by the NAIE for who knows how many murders. I also have some secret assassin agency that wants me dead at all costs, and that's not including some mysterious woman that for whatever reason decided to be my partner on this mad quest. I cannot afford to not know anything about you now, not after I just saw a bunch of trained federal agents get slaughtered by a highly-skilled assassin who died mere minutes afterwards. And the only people who saw it happen think I was the one who killed him. Now answer my question: who the hell are you?

Videl glanced up to Gohan's stern-looking face. "Like I said," she said slowly, trying to keep the young man from putting a bullet between her eyes. It was amazing the amount of patience she found in that instant. "I'm just a law student from the local university. That's it."

That didn't seem to mollify the dark-haired man at all. "A student who has a rich father, correct?"

"Yes, my father is rich," she lied effortlessly.

"And you didn't tell him a word about what's going on, right?"

"Not a word."

"Then explain to me why he rented out two hotel rooms for the both of us instead of instructing you to go back to your dorm. If he had no idea about us being on the run, then there's no reason he would make that offer. And if he did know, I doubt he would simply choose to put you up in a hotel instead of flying here and whisking you out of the city."

Videl could hear the nails that closed the lid of her coffin shut. Gohan was onto her; he didn't know who she was exactly, but he had made some serious headway. He had just blown away her cover, leaving her stark naked before him.

No...no, he hadn't. He had just caught a flaw in her story, that was all. She could still salvage something from this. "I…I asked him if he could arrange us—"

Gohan interrupted her. "You asked him for a hotel room and he insisted on two? Without asking why you would want one?" He gave her a look that screamed how much he didn't believe her. "You're not winning me over here, Videl."

There was no throwing this guy off, was there?! Frantically, Videl tried to think of something, anything that she could say that would put the dark-haired man off of her, or at the very least keep him from pulling the trigger. Unfortunately, her mind was coming up blank.

"Videl." She stopped her thoughts and focused on Gohan. He looked so vulnerable at that moment, so desperate and helpless that she ached for him. "Help me."

"I can't," she replied just as helpless.

"Why not?" he returned just as emotional.

Videl swallowed the growing lump in her throat. There wasn't any going back now, was there? "Because if I do, you'll want to kill me."

Those words devastated the young man. The hurt he showed was almost too much to bare. "Believe me when I say this: I don't want to shoot you. I've had enough death to last me a lifetime. Just tell me what I need to know," he begged her.

It was then that Videl felt her resolve shatter. How could she say no to that? Gone was the harden assassin, and in her place was someone Videl hadn't been in a long time. With resignation, she asked, "You don't mind if I sit on the bed, do you? This might be a long story."

Gohan nodded, which Videl began walking to the bed, careful to stay out of reach of the cases. She didn't want to make him think she was going to attempt something, what with her dead in his sights. Faintly, she recalled back at a motel where their roles were reversed. The irony was readily apparent.

As if to replicate that scene, Gohan had moved further into the room as well, placing his back up against the wall while keeping his handgun leveled at her. Seeing as this situation wouldn't be resolved without that gun being present, the dark-haired woman braced herself for the storm that was about the come and spoke, "There's no easy way to say this, but it's best if I just say it bluntly.

"I'm an assassin."

Simultaneously, Videl felt a sense of relief and dread fill her. Relief in that she could finally say just who she was to someone, dread in that she was at the mercy of a man that had proven he was willing to kill if need be. She was placing a lot of faith in his words that he didn't want to kill her, but if push turned to shove…

As expected, Gohan looked alarmed at that confession. "Who for?" he asked.

"Not the people out to kill you," she replied hastily. "I work for…let's just call it a rival group."

"So why are you involving yourself in this?"

"Because it hurts our competitors," she stated truthfully; there was no room for sweet-sounding lies here. "Everyone in our business likes to keep tabs on everyone else. The top assassins for each agency usually have their movements followed very closely. So when one of them suddenly disappears, it gets everyone's attention."

"So you would keep tabs on Piccolo, for instance?" Gohan clarified.

"Yeah. He was codenamed the Demon due to his relentless pursuit of his targets."

"So what's yours?"

"The Devil." Ugh, now that she said that out loud, that name sounded so lame, like she was trying to compensate for something. Father really did have bad taste in names.

"So, it wouldn't be a good idea to ask you about other agents from your agency," Gohan stated more than asked.

Videl nodded her agreement. "Yeah, it would be best. Besides, we're not the ones that are after you. In fact, you could say we're helping you."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Helping me do what?" The answer came to him a second later. "Oh, to hurt your rival."

"I never said we had good intentions."

"So why did you seek me out?" the young man asked. "I wasn't on anyone's radar until recently."

Now came the tricky part. There was so much Videl could say to this, but it was perhaps better that she didn't. Gohan didn't need to know that Father initially wanted his head, and telling him as much would put the dark-haired man in a more trigger-itchy mood. So, she stayed with the basics. "Another assassin we kept an eye on. She had been called in to do a job, and we watched her and her cronies do their work. My boss had been trying to get her in our group for awhile, but she said he couldn't pay her enough."

"Who was she?" Gohan asked curiously.

"Code name was Android. No one really knows her background, but then you could say that about any of the agents. Blonde, slim, very effective." Videl ran out of adjectives to describe her.

Some sort of recognition flashed across Gohan's face. "You last heard of her at the Carlton Gates."

Something within Videl told her that Gohan knew something about Android, which caused her stomach to drop. "Yes, that's right," she admitted hesitantly.

"And you and I ran into each other shortly after that," Gohan continued, skipping right over whatever happened with him at the Carlton Gates. Videl wasn't sure whether to be alarmed or relieved by that. "So either you stumbled upon me or you managed to track me down."

And things went back to alarmed. Despite his poor-guy routine, the dark-haired man was very sharp, something she had forgotten and was remembering with a vengeance now. She had to be careful for the rest of this confession if she wanted to leave this room alive. "It was a bit of both," she began slowly. "We had a…contact identify you through security footage at the hotel. We started looking for you, but I had to go maintain my cover."

"As a law student?"

"Yeah, that's my cover for the moment," she explained. "That's when I saw you and made contact."

"You recognized me that easily?"

"Well, you do have a distinctive haircut. After seeing it so many times, it's hard not to notice it."

Gohan was quiet for a moment before he asked, "You've seen me before?"

"Your picture," Videl clarified. "We had an image from the security feed printed it and distributed to all the agents. I took a look at you many times to make sure I was seeing the right person."

"Yet you recognized me instantly at the law library," Gohan rebutted. "I'm assuming you didn't have the photo on you at the time."

Well, now she had to go into territory she hadn't imagined she'd have to retread. This was going to be rough. "I…I have to admit that I had seen you before the Carlton Gates."

"Where? Where did you see me?"

Videl stared at the floor with great reluctance. If she could've stayed in this moment, she would have, but there was only so long before she stretched Gohan's patience. Glancing up to him, she finally said, "At Ox-King's office."

Gohan's mouth dropped open. He seemed frozen before he came to a very natural conclusion. "You shot him."

"Yes."

"And you saw me through the window. But…you acted like you had no idea about me when we first met."

"I had to pretend that I didn't know. It was pretty easy since you didn't know me. You thought I was an innocent bystander, remember?" she reminded him.

The young man leaned his head back until it made a thud against the wall. "Everyone I meet is a killer," he spoke dejectedly.

Videl felt for him, she really did. She wanted nothing more than to go comfort the guy, but knew that such a move was not advisable. So she did the next best thing that she could to comfort him. "How would you know? You lived your entire life in a cubicle. How could you know about this stuff?"

A silence fell between them. It was obvious Gohan needed a moment to do some soul-searching, and Videl was going to let him. It was a while before he asked her, "So now what? Now that I know who you are and you know me, what are you going to do? I doubt you can let me leave."

"Actually, I don't know you," Videl replied. "Despite being ill-equipped, you managed to survive everything that's been thrown at you." A bubble of humor began welling up in her, but she stamped it down. This was a serious moment after all. "I'm starting to think that maybe there's more to you than even _you _know."

The dark-haired man stared at her after that. It was like he was unsure how to take what she said. It was several moments before he shook his head and returned from wherever his thoughts had taken him. "Can you tell me what Project Dormancy is?"

"I've heard it mentioned before," she answered, "but I can't say I know very much about it. As I understand it, someone was going to all the assassin agencies with a proposal, though no one seemed interested in it. Perhaps you should try an internet search. There might be some information there."

Gohan's eyes flickered to a laptop the young woman hadn't noticed until then. "No, can't do that."

Videl frowned. "Why not?"

Nodding towards the laptop, he explained, "I believe my brother's laptop has been compromised. Someone managed to hack into it and figured out what we were doing."

And that made very little sense. "I'm not following you."

Gohan paused for a moment to figure out how to explain himself. It took a bit, but he finally said, "Haven't you wondered how Piccolo managed to attack us downtown? Like he had been waiting for us to show up?"

Well, now that he mentioned it..."Of course I've thought about it. You think he managed to hack your computer?"

"Yeah. I mean, how do you explain him being on that exact street waiting for us? He would've had to know we were going down that specific street. He didn't just get lucky that we were, it was as if he knew we would. He knew we were going to those two banks, and that we'd be going from one to another. The only way he could have known that is if he had been on the computer since you did a search of those banks, and I did a map search on them."

"That…makes a lot of sense." Now that it was out there, Videl couldn't help but agree with Gohan's thinking. It definitely explained how Demon managed to set up a trap in the middle of the day, what with the infinite amount of routes they could've taken. Everything that guy needed to know had been displayed right on that laptop. "And even if it isn't true, we can't take any unnecessary risk. The computer I took from the NAIE could also be similarly compromised."

Which left them without a computer they could use. That wasn't a happy thought. Looked like she'd have to call up Maid again.

That was when her last conversation with the blonde popped into her head. _You'll have to ask Father about it if you want to know more._ Perhaps this was the time to actually call up the windbag. "Perhaps Father will know something," she said to Gohan.

Gohan raised an eyebrow at that. "Father?"

Had Videl been a lesser woman, she would've blushed at that remark. Instead, she explained, "Oh, um, that's the codename for my boss. He insisted on it."

It seemed the dark-haired man wasn't sure how to handle that information. "I guess anything he knows would be helpful." He paused. "Just be careful what you tell him. I'd rather not have him suddenly order you to try and kill me."

…

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